Watch where you step

[fin]

47 minutes ago, Mobasser said:

My dad told me about seeing cottonmouths in Missouri as a kid. The one I saw was sunning himself near the bank on a large rock. I'm pretty sure it was a cottonmouth because of the thick body. The rattlesnake had to be a timber rattler. That was in Chillacothe Mo in the late 1960s. I've heard other guys talk about seeing them, but not sure when? Lots of these things get driven out of areas with building, new development, etc. I'd bet there's not many around anymore

They're real easy to confuse with some water snakes. To tell the difference, you have to get too close.

 

This is a pretty good PDF showing the differences: LINK

[Bluebasser86]

21 hours ago, fin said:

They're real easy to confuse with some water snakes. To tell the difference, you have to get too close.

 

This is a pretty good PDF showing the differences: LINK

We have the banded water snakes here. Everyone swears they're cottonmouths. If they'd ever seen a real cottonmouth, they'd realize it's pretty obvious they're not water moccasins.

[Russ E]

I have a neighbor that swears a kid died from multiple water mocassin bites at the local lake. He does not know who it was or when it happened. Sounds like an urban legend to me. According to the Kansas wildlife department there are no water mocassins in Kansas. 

May be a little off topic , but one animal that is fairly new to the area is Armadillos. Just a few years ago, If someone would have told me they live in eastern Kansas, I would have laughed at them. I have seen them multiple times in the last year. 

[fin]

1 hour ago, Russ E said:

I have a neighbor that swears a kid died from multiple water mocassin bites at the local lake. He does not know who it was or when it happened. Sounds like an urban legend to me. According to the Kansas wildlife department there are no water mocassins in Kansas. 

May be a little off topic , but one animal that is fairly new to the area is Armadillos. Just a few years ago, If someone would have told me they live in eastern Kansas, I would have laughed at them. I have seen them multiple times in the last year. 

I live right outside the boundary of where moccasins have been found in my state. If you look at the map in that PDF, their range isn't based on North or South. I don't really understand why they do or don't live in certain areas.

 

The only Armadillos I've seen have been dead on the side of the road. I've seen quite a few, but never a live one. They must be pretty elusive. I saw flying squirrels for the first time in my life this year, living in a birdhouse in my own backyard. I saw one poking its head out one time, and I've never seen them since.

[N Florida Mike]

Here’s the picture of the 11 1/4 ft diamond back rattler killed in 1919 in what is now West palm beach fl.

[Mobasser]

12 minutes ago, N Florida Mike said:

Here’s the picture of the 11 1/4 ft diamond back rattler killed in 1919 in what is now West palm beach fl.

Mike, that's incredible! I've never seen any rattlesnake even half that size. Thanks for posting this pic Mike

[txchaser]

29 minutes ago, N Florida Mike said:

Here’s the picture of the 11 1/4 ft diamond back rattler killed in 1919 in what is now West palm beach fl.

[MN Fisher]

46 minutes ago, N Florida Mike said:

Here’s the picture of the 11 1/4 ft diamond back rattler killed in 1919 in what is now West palm beach fl.

 

17 minutes ago, txchaser said:

 

[TnRiver46]

On 2/19/2020 at 8:32 AM, fin said:

I live right outside the boundary of where moccasins have been found in my state. If you look at the map in that PDF, their range isn't based on North or South. I don't really understand why they do or don't live in certain areas.

 

The only Armadillos I've seen have been dead on the side of the road. I've seen quite a few, but never a live one. They must be pretty elusive. I saw flying squirrels for the first time in my life this year, living in a birdhouse in my own backyard. I saw one poking its head out one time, and I've never seen them since.

Flying squirrels are nocturnal, I catch them out of people’s  attic all the time and they never knew such a creature existed, much less lived above their ceiling. I also live near a boundary of water moccasin and armadillo in East TN 

[SuperDuty]

I'm a snake lover, have had a few pet snakes over the years. My dad got me my first pet snake as a Christmas give when I was in the 4th grade so for 30 some years now I have been infatuated with them. I will catch any snake I come across and then try to show them to people in Hope's to curb their fear of them. 

I have had a couple of bad experiences.  Once when I was 13 I was nailed by a cotton mouth on Lake Weir in Ocala Florida. My mom and aunt rushed me to the ER and surprisingly, there were people waiting outside for my arrival and took me immediately to a room.  I remember reading the sign by the door saying "snakebite, and I remember them sticking an IV in my arm and not much else. 

Another time, I got bitten by a hog nose snake and it made me very I'll for like two days. I assume it may have been due to something it had eaten or something.  

 

I've been bitten by many different ones over the year and other than maybe some mild swelling, that's about it. 

 

Snakes are more intelligent than what people give them credit for.  They're not smart but not just a mindless biting machine. 

 

Last summer the weirdest thing happened to me. I had been thinking how I've not ever seen a green snake in the wild, not once in my life. And I had always wanted to catch one. A few weeks later I was out in my shop and was standing in the doorway and seen something fall from one branch to another. I went to investigate and was shocked to see the one snake I've wanted to catch. He sure was a friendly guy, too. My kids and I handled him for a couple hours before we finally released him. His non intimidating appearance even enticed the wife into feeling him which shocked me as she's deathly afraid of snakes. So bad so that one time she got out of the shower and a snake slithered by so she stood stark naked on the kitchen table while her sister's husband came into the kitchen to remove the snake lol.. he was the only person who answered her phone call that day. She was so embarrassed!

 

Here are some pics of a few snakes I've caught and took pics of recently. 

 

 

[soflabasser]

On 2/19/2020 at 10:39 PM, N Florida Mike said:

Here’s the picture of the 11 1/4 ft diamond back rattler killed in 1919 in what is now West palm beach fl.

Thank you for posting this picture of the 11 1/4 foot long eastern diamondback rattlesnake. It is amazing how far South in Florida it was caught.

[N Florida Mike]

7 minutes ago, soflabasser said:

Thank you for posting this picture of the 11 1/4 foot long eastern diamondback rattlesnake. It is amazing how far South in Florida it was caught.

Now the pythons are a problem down there. Have you ever seen one? 
I hope it’s too cold for them up here. 

[soflabasser]

15 minutes ago, N Florida Mike said:

Now the pythons are a problem down there. Have you ever seen one? 
I hope it’s too cold for them up here. 

I caught a +10 foot Burmese python a couple years ago near one of the places I fish. It was the only Burmese python I have seen so far but I am sure there are more of them in the area. Have caught other species of snakes in Florida and they where native species unlike the Burmese python.

[NYWayfarer]

The few snakes I have encountered in my parts are of the non-venomous variety. I give them the respect they deserve and leave them alone, that way they do the same to me.

[TnRiver46]

22 hours ago, SuperDuty said:

I'm a snake lover, have had a few pet snakes over the years. My dad got me my first pet snake as a Christmas give when I was in the 4th grade so for 30 some years now I have been infatuated with them. I will catch any snake I come across and then try to show them to people in Hope's to curb their fear of them. 

I have had a couple of bad experiences.  Once when I was 13 I was nailed by a cotton mouth on Lake Weir in Ocala Florida. My mom and aunt rushed me to the ER and surprisingly, there were people waiting outside for my arrival and took me immediately to a room.  I remember reading the sign by the door saying "snakebite, and I remember them sticking an IV in my arm and not much else. 

Another time, I got bitten by a hog nose snake and it made me very I'll for like two days. I assume it may have been due to something it had eaten or something.  

 

I've been bitten by many different ones over the year and other than maybe some mild swelling, that's about it. 

 

Snakes are more intelligent than what people give them credit for.  They're not smart but not just a mindless biting machine. 

 

Last summer the weirdest thing happened to me. I had been thinking how I've not ever seen a green snake in the wild, not once in my life. And I had always wanted to catch one. A few weeks later I was out in my shop and was standing in the doorway and seen something fall from one branch to another. I went to investigate and was shocked to see the one snake I've wanted to catch. He sure was a friendly guy, too. My kids and I handled him for a couple hours before we finally released him. His non intimidating appearance even enticed the wife into feeling him which shocked me as she's deathly afraid of snakes. So bad so that one time she got out of the shower and a snake slithered by so she stood stark naked on the kitchen table while her sister's husband came into the kitchen to remove the snake lol.. he was the only person who answered her phone call that day. She was so embarrassed!

 

Here are some pics of a few snakes I've caught and took pics of recently. 

 

 

The green ones I see are always up in a tree

[SuperDuty]

Yeah the green snakes we have around here are definitely tree snakes. This one fell from a limb high up to one down lower and that's when I seen him and went and got him.  He seemed to enjoy being handled.