Latest news with #RoxanneFlanagan
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Yahoo
'It's a snake!' Ocean City, Md., sighting on beach 'frightening but cool' for visitors
The town of Ocean City, Maryland, has gone viral after a reptilian visitor was recently spotted making its way across its golden sands. Roxanne Flanagan of Annapolis is no stranger to the resort town. While the Western Shore is home, she and her family are regular visitors and travel to and from Ocean City at least five or six times a year. Flanagan's most recent visit, which she took alongside her 3-year-old son, 7-year-old daughter and daughter's friend, led to an unusual reptile sighting near the Atlantic Ocean on Saturday, April 26. Flanagan was first made aware of the reptile when her daughter began to scream, "It's a snake! It's a snake!" OCMD BOARDWALK HISTORY: Ocean City, MD, Boardwalk history: From small wooden walkway to commercial business hotbed At first, Flanagan was convinced it was a piece of driftwood that had washed ashore and her daughter was mistaken. But, once she caught sight of the large black snake slithering through the sand, she quickly changed her mind and corralled the three children together. "It was frightening but cool," Flanagan said of the rare snake sighting, which was the highlight of the kids' weekend. OCEAN CITY SEAFOOD FESTIVAL: Ocean City, Md., to debut its inaugural seafood festival featuring cooking demos this fall According to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, the non-aggressive reptile was determined to be an Eastern hognose snake (Heterodon platirhinos). An Eastern hognose snake can grow 20-33 inches in size and varies in color; from a yellow, brown, gray, orange or red patterned back to an un-patterned ebony black or dark grey. The snake, which can be found statewide, is more abundant on the Coastal Plain. Although it is mildly venomous, the snake's venom is not effective against humans. "I've never seen a snake on the beach," Flanagan said, noting how she captured a few photos and videos as proof of the unusual encounter; one which she hopes isn't repeated. "I personally don't swim in the ocean, but that's something I have to worry about now when we go back to Ocean City," she said. "What are the odds that we might see another (snake) now?" OCEAN CITY'S MUSIC FESTIVALS: How Ocean City was transformed into music festival hotbed: A behind the scenes look Olivia Minzola covers communities on the Lower Shore. Contact her with tips and story ideas at ominzola@ This article originally appeared on Salisbury Daily Times: Ocean City, MD beach snake a 'frightening but cool' sight for visitors
CBS News
29-04-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Viral video shows large snake on Maryland beach
A Maryland woman's video of a large snake slithering on the beach in Ocean City is giving a lot of people the creeps. The video, which went viral with more than 4,000 shares on Facebook, shows what appears to be an eastern hognose snake gliding across the sand and in the ocean. "All the years I've been going to Ocean City, I would have never thought that there were snakes in the water, said Roxanne Flanagan, who took the video. "But now I'm worried about snakes." Flanagan and her co-workers from Brooklyn Park Dental visited Ocean City with their children for Springfest when their children spotted the snake and screamed. "At first, I thought they saw a shark," said Tiffany Redman, a dental hygienist at Brooklyn Park Dental. "But I was never expecting them to see a snake." "I told my kids to back up so they wouldn't get bit," Flanagan added. Flanagan's husband, Dr. Frederick Flanagan, who was back at the office, was shocked when he learned of the discovery. "I was like, 'Oh my goodness, are you serious?' She showed me pictures and videos. I couldn't believe what I was seeing, and of course, I hear my kids in the background freaking out." How did the snake end up on the beach? According to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, based on the photos shared, the snake appears to be an eastern hognose snake, which is a native species that likes habitats with sandy soil, so it would not be unusual for it to be found on the beach. The species does not present any danger to the public. "It was slithering all around the sand, chasing people," Roxanne Flanagan said. According to the Maryland Zoo, eastern hognose snakes may lift their heads like cobras and lunge at attackers when threatened, but their venom is harmless to humans. There are no snakes in the Atlantic, so the snake was probably looking for mussels or snails to eat. "It was the highlight of the kids' weekend for sure," Redman said. "My daughter, Divinity, I hope it doesn't scare her to go back to Ocean City because I would like for them to enjoy the sand and building sandcastles, so hopefully we don't see any more snakes on the beach," Roxanne Flanagan said.
