ナショナルジオグラフィックのインスタグラム(natgeo) - 6月5日 11時09分

Photo @tbfrost | Caption by @paulrosolie: I stopped abruptly on the trail when I saw this snake. It had it’s head off the ground, looking right at me. The stark yellow seemed to glow against the dark forest floor. Often in nature bright colors are a warning. But this snake was no stranger; It’s one of the most common and harmless snakes we see in the jungle - a friend: the common swamp snake ( Erythrolamprus reginae). I stepped closer and The snake flicked its tongue contentedly. I knelt down and held out my hand. I expected the snake to race off, but this one didn’t. It just kept looking at me. I lifted it, with one hand, and we walked down the trail together, the mesmerizing coils gripped my fingers, the tongue continued to flick in a way that indicated calmness. Back at camp I showed the snake to my students and we spent some minutes removing the large tick that was embedded in its scales.
We have all heard stories of animals that seem to know they are being helped by humans, whales stuck in fishing nets, a tiger in a snare. It’s become accepted that higher order animals can recognize or in some cases even seek out help from humans. And though we traditionally think of reptiles as simple or even dumb, it is becoming clear that this is largely due to their lack of facial expression. They are more complex than we think. This little snake seemed to know that I meant it no harm. It showed no defensive behavior or striking, no rapid slithering away. It was a singular encounter that made me think how much we still have to learn about the creatures we share the world with. This swamp snake seemed like a perfect ambassador for our photo series. At a time when we are losing species and habitat at such overwhelming pace, the future of so many species are quite literally in our hands.

To continue following my journey to photograph the world's largest snake, the green anaconda, I'm @tbfrost

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