Hiss-mas came early this year.
In Central Florida, spring means that swamps will soon be inundated with horny snakes looking to get laid. As a service to the reptilian rompers, officials have cordoned off Lake Hollingsworth Park so the serpents can engage in their orgies in peace.
Each year around this time, the snakes form literal “breeding balls” where they contort themselves into Gordian knots of serpents as multiple males try to mate with one female, reports Live Science.
“We believe that the water snakes (an aquatic serpent native to Florida) have congregated in that area as they seem to do yearly,” reads the Feb. 13 Facebook post by the City of Lakeland Parks and Recreation. Authorities were reportedly alerted to the snakes’ presence by visitor reports of serpent sex sessions taking place on the shores of Lake Hollingsworth.
To protect both the snakes and the park-goers, officials “have put up caution tape in the area and are in the process of hanging signs to make the public aware of their presence,” per the post.
Fortunately, while clusters of lust-filled serpents might sound frightening, water snakes are “non-venomous and generally not aggressive as long as people do not disturb them,” according to park officials. They add, “once mating is over, they should go their separate ways.”
However, snake enthusiasts shouldn’t fret if they miss the phenomenon. Like the swallows returning to Capistrano, these carnal congregations happen every spring after the reptiles emerge from hibernation hungry for love, reports Live Science.
Water snakes aren’t the only species who like to “have a ball” during sex. The polyamorous practice is observed in a variety of species from anacondas to garter snakes, whose orgies can sometimes prove deadly.