Snake discussion......

YES!!!! Very "nippy" although not much of an injury!

 

Those and giant garters are sure pretty!!

 

Only time my mom got upset with me was when I had moved home between females. My parents went to Big Bear Lake (in the mountains above San Bernadino). I went snake collecting in Palm Springs and left a small rattler on the other bed in the bedroom (in a pillow case). I went to work and when I came home, she yelled at me for hours about the house rules being no poisonous snakes inside the house (It was her fault because they came home early!). That was the second or third time my parents through me out!

 

We see quite a few speckled kingsnakes in our yard. I always fell good when I see these. My wife had an unpleasant experience with a snake mowing the tall grass on the edge of our yard earlier this year. Not sure if it was a moccassin or water snake (I expect we have both) but it was injured already and I wasn't going to wait and find out what it was before I disposed of it. But generally we have a don't ask, don't tell policy with the snakes in our yard, although I'm sure our cats get rid of a lot of the younger ones.

 

I thought this was interesting.

 

Well you learn something new everyday.

 

Fed my smoothies they each got 3 mice. Happiest snakes around.

 

VERY informative. But as an additional comment, many of those species listed only eat much smaller snakes (which, granted, do grow up into big snakes!) and eat non-venomous as well as venomous prey. A Giant Garter Snake (West Coast species which grows 4' long) couldn't eat a very big rattlesnake or even a large constrictor species like a king or gopher/bull snake. And venomous snakes (at least pit vipers) do have long fangs that could pierce a vital organ.

 

I saw a really sad picture yesterday, from one of the local forest fires. There, in the ashes of a fast burn area, was the remains of a rattlesnake. It was coiled up, and frozen in mid-strike. The firemen who found it said it looked like the snake just couldn't flee any farther, asit was exhausted. It coiled up, and as the flames came over it, it struck at them, while they killed it. A sad, but brave, "last great act of defiance".

I admit, I've killed my share of rattlesnakes, when I'd find them in my yard, to protect my kids, and show bunnies, from them, but this just struck me as a sad scene. That snake wasn't going to just give up and die. HJe was going to try and take the enemy chasing him down with him.

Sorry, jsut wanted to throw that out there.
Have a good day, all...
Pat☺

 

Awesome story, in Pennsylvania rattlesnakes are a rare sighting. I've only seen 2 in the wild and we are out explorering every weekend. The do have a big rattlesnake hunt in North Central pa....then again I don't go looking for them so

 

Wow, kind of like the Republican Guard in Iraq?

 

Can you post it or a link?

 

Sure: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/406449935115961171/

Snake's last great act of defiance. Kinda reminds me of the cartoon with a stork that swallowed a frog, who reached out and grabbed the storks neck to keep from getting swallowed. Or the one with a mouse standing there with one finger raised at the hawk that's about to grab him.

Those were "funny memes" though. This snake was a real life example of bravery, or at least desperation.

Have a good day, all!
Pat☺

 

https://www.yahoo.com/news/x-ray-image-shows-python-171304736.html

 

This is a Racer.

 

Check out what my nephew found.
Eastern Narrow-Mouthed Toad.

 

My pupper and I stumbled across a baby copperhead this weekend at our campsite during his last potty walk of the night. He was sniffing at the base of a tree at the edge of our campsite and he reared back all of a sudden and then I saw it slithering against the base of the tree. It was a baby, only about an inch in diameter. I tried to snap a pic but my flash wasn't on. When I tried to turn on the flash I lost sight of the copperhead in the leaf debris. That's when we skeeeedaddled back to the camper. First time I've ever seen a snake while camping (and I've been camping my whole life).

 

Did it have a yellow tail?

 

I could not get a look at the tail, unfortunately, that would've been cool to see. I saw the body/head only. The tree where it was trying to hide had a bunch of smaller saplings/leaf litter at the bottom so it was hard to see the whole snake.

 

Ya I would of gone after it.

 

I’ve never seen one in all my snake hunting adventures.

 

Haha, no thank you! I'm more of an observe from afar, or in this case observe from out of striking distance range. It was a beautiful snake though and I'm thankful it didn't nip the puppy when he was nosing around at it.

 

Prob should tell the Ranger? Get rid of it.

 

I did call the park office today to report the sighting in case they want to relocate it, assuming they can find it again.

 

Ya throw board down. Seems to attract them.

 

I have never seen a copperhead in the wild. And we explorer all over pa.

 

I saw one years ago in the Clarion River while canoeing when I was probably about 12.

My husband accidentally ran one over with a lawnmower at his parent's house (also years ago and I only saw the aftermath - gross).

We explore all over too. It's amazing how good snakes are at not being seen. I can only count a handful of times I've come across any snakes in the wild (not counting the 10,000 lake erie water snakes, rat snakes, and garter snakes I've seen).

 

What kind of snake is this?