The Center for Biological Diversity has filed a federal lawsuit accusing the Trump administration of failing to protect the Florida pine snake under the federal Endangered Species Act.
The pine snake lives in Florida, South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama.
"These amazing snakes are hidden gems of the Southeast, but if they don't get Endangered Species Act protections soon there's a real chance they could go extinct," Jeremiah Scanlan, a legal fellow at the center, said in a statement. "Florida pine snakes are secretive, but that doesn't mean their plight should be ignored."
The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.
Florida pine snakes are "large snakes that spend most of their time underground, using their spade-shaped head to dig or occupying burrows made by other species," according to the center. They mostly live in "sandy, open-canopied pine upland ecosystems" of the region's coastal plain.
However, logging, urbanization and suppression of natural fire cycles have "destroyed and degraded the habitat" that the species depends on, according to the center.
Center officials said high numbers of the slow-moving snakes are killed by vehicles on roads and that people also kill them "intentionally, mistaking them for rattlesnakes because they hiss and have a similar appearance."
Adult Florida pine snakes have a variable pattern of dark brown or rust-colored blotches on a light cream to tan background color, according to the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. The markings are more distinct toward the tail and more faded in appearance toward the head.
Although they appear menacing, pinesnakes are nonvenomous and become defensive only when they feel threatened.
The Florida pine snake is listed as threatened by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Herpetologists believe the species is in decline, according to the UF/IFAS.
The Center for Biological Diversity, a nonprofit focused on species protections, first petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect Florida pine snakes under the Endangered Species Act in 2012.
"Protecting Florida pine snakes will also help safeguard the incredible biodiversity and natural beauty of the pine uplands," said Scanlan. "So much damage has already been done, but the Fish and Wildlife Service has a chance to live up to its mission and protect these pine snakes along with the places they call home."
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