Photo by Doncom402. That's a great photo of a Cotton Mouth, or Water Moccasin. They come in all colors and patterns, from grey to black and a variety in between. They are very common and not always found near water. I looked closer at the photo of the snake Biz had in her yard and it had the constricted neck and diamond shaped head like this one. It's good to know those features and it's good for kids to know, because if you have a reptile lovin' kid (like I was) they WILL be chasing snakes down and catching them. There was no Internet when I was a kid, you couldn't just look something up, but, my Grandma taught me that if it has a diamond shaped head (sometimes called spade head) and a skinny neck (constricted) it's venomous. They have venom slits near the nose too, but, if you're close enough to see those, you're too close. It's just a good thing to know. Cotton Mouth's are dangerous because they're territorial and aggressive. It's a rattle snake with no warning rattles.
*
The Copperhead is another venomous snake in the rattler family, but, they are reclusive and not usually aggressive. It's very rare to see a Copperhead, you can look them up, they always have the distinctive pattern in browns. Unfortunately they get mixed up a lot with the common Corn Snake who makes a good pet. Again, you can tell by the diamond head and constricted neck. Snakes can strike at half the length of thier body and they don't have to be coiled to strike. They are also deaf, so yelling at them doesn't do you (or them) any good. Try stomping your feet instead, to let them know you're around.
The Copperhead is another venomous snake in the rattler family, but, they are reclusive and not usually aggressive. It's very rare to see a Copperhead, you can look them up, they always have the distinctive pattern in browns. Unfortunately they get mixed up a lot with the common Corn Snake who makes a good pet. Again, you can tell by the diamond head and constricted neck. Snakes can strike at half the length of thier body and they don't have to be coiled to strike. They are also deaf, so yelling at them doesn't do you (or them) any good. Try stomping your feet instead, to let them know you're around.
12 comments:
wow, i am glad you educated me on this! i started running, training for my first marathon at 41, and on my early and late runs i see lots of snakes come accross my path, or I come accross theirs and figure most are water mocasins since there is a bayou or river by the trail but did not think they were venemous. Plus, my 7 yo daughter loves snakes, too!
BTW, i use to smoke, so now i always see the smokers sitting by the door at the hotels i stay at and remember myself there and last night i saw a woman that looked like you at first glance but it wasn't but i kept thinking how nice it would be to sit and talk to you and have a drink or two...!
ali
He's pretty but I don't want to bump into him anywhere. Boots and socks for hiking where those fellows dwell.
There are plenty of copperheads in VA. We see them all the time.
I was chased by a cottonmouth in big open water on the lake where I grew up. We were on a pontoon for a day, floating on rafts, and this snake came after us. We made it back on the boat and he climbed onto the propeller. He was most likely tired from his swim...he was very far from shore...and he was insistent on boarding our boat. It was terrifying for me. And I was not one bit sad when he got it from the propeller. Just thinking about it scares me still. But in 18 years on that lake, it was the only time we ever saw a snake.
Ali, feel free to email me. I haven't had the need to be in a hotel in a long time but, you know I'd be out there with the smokers!
1:26:00 PM get some pics for us! I hardly ever see them here. They're pretty. I think Cotton Mouths are ugly.
When I first met my ex husbands younger brother I figured out quickly the man was a story teller who must have a drinking/drug problem. At the time he was a jockey that tells ya he's a very small man his story...I was jogging on this path in these shoes (lifting up his leg to show the nice moccasin style houseshoe he was wearing that all joggers would wear when jogging) when all of a sudden this rattle snake bit him while he was jumping over it, it just hopped up and bit his shoe (looking around for the unseen puncture marks in the moccasin jogging houseshoes he was wearing)Oh must of been my other shoes that look just like these, luckly for me it missed my toe.....The man is still drinking just last week he was chased by a tarantula, even took a photo of it with his cell phone he lives in Arizona so it's possible.
Thanks for the info. That is what it looked like, except ours was like a brown and black pattern. Our neighbor suggested it was a copperhead but it didn't have a rattle, do those fall off? I think you're right though, DD.
I've never had any encounters with ANY snakes EVER, except at the zoo. This was freaky. It was so big. I honestly thought it was someone's pet snake that they just let go or something.
No, the Cotton Mouth and Copperhead are both in the rattler family, but, they don't have rattles. If you look up Copperhead, you'll see the distinctive pattern. They don't have copper heads either. I really think yours was a cotton mouth. Let me know if you find out for sure.
I saw a bull snake last week that was easily 6 feet long. It was near moms front door. They do get big. Cotton Mouths are known for their big fat size. It's real typical.
My Dad was bitten by one as a youth. He still has a wonky thumb because of it. He is also very lucky to alive as this would have been in the late 1940's.
Another tell tale sign they are poisonous, elliptical eyes. Slits instead of dots if you will.
Post a Comment