University of Florida biologist Harvey Lillywhite prepares to explore Seahorse Key in search of cottonmouths to take back to his lab.
A trip through the island's dense brush requires a pair of canvas chaps, which Lillywhite wears to protect him from strikes by the ground-dwelling vipers.
"There are risks that snake people take," Lillywhite said of his research, adding that he has never been bitten.
"In the olden days, they'd just pin a snake down with a stick and grab it behind the head," he said. "I don't do that."
Email to a Friend 
