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!”
A hognose snake was spotted slithering across the sand in Ocean City, Maryland, on April 26, 2025.
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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.
A hognose snake was spotted slithering across the sand in Ocean City, Maryland, on April 26, 2025.
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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?”
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Olivia Minzola covers communities on the Lower Shore. Contact her with tips and story ideas at ominzola@delmarvanow.com.
This article originally appeared on Salisbury Daily Times: Ocean City, MD beach snake a ‘frightening but cool’ sight for visitors