Posted by pete --Previous Message--
on October 30, 2006, 3:02 pm, in reply to "Re: Snake Identity"
12.210.164.85
I live in northcentral Tenn and found a small black snake with a red belly and two red spots behind its head any idea what it might be?
:
: --Previous Message--
: Hi, I came across a snake near to where
: our house is being built in the
: southern MS area. It was really red. It
: had brownish hour glass shapes on it's
: back. I know it may have been venomous,
: but the color really threw me. Reddish
: with pink is more like it. It was small
: too, maybe 15 inches in length. Thanks
: for any help. My guess-a copperhead of
: some type?
:
: Hi. It sounds like a Southern
: Copperhead, and the Southern form can
: be quite colorful in some localities.
: Copperheads are not harmless, but
: neither are they deadly; I have known
: at least two people who were bitten by
: Copperheads and did not get treatment
: (in both cases the human's fault), and
: they were fine after a couple of days.
: Copperhead venom is not powerful, as
: their prey is small mammals and frogs,
: and most hospitals do not routinely
: give antivenom, but put the victim
: under observation for 24 hours (for
: allergic reactions mainly).
: Copperheads only bite in self defence,
: as is the case with all North American
: venomous snakes, and if left alone will
: go about their business with a curious
: look at this large and potentially
: dangerous animal. This has been my
: experience with several in the field,
: and I have had to move more than one
: off a trail (for its own safety), and
: none of them offered to bite; I used a
: long straight stick and scooped them
: off by sliding it under the center of
: the body and carrying them to an area
: of deep cover. Do not ever try the
: methods shown on TV, grabbing the tail,
: or pinning the head and grabbing the
: neck. You will have a nice hospital
: stay and a swollen hand. I have had
: years of experience with snakes, and I
: won't even try these tricks. These
: activities make the snake think that a
: predator has got them, and they react
: with fear.
: I get so angry with these people on TV,
: one from the US, one from Southern
: Africa and one from Australia, and they
: all say "he's mad" or
: "he's angry". No, he is not!
: He is terrified, and is fighting (he
: thinks) for his life. If a Grizzly had
: me by the foot or head, I would be far
: from angry. I would be terrified!
: The wisest course when encountering any
: dangerous snake in the field is to note
: where it is and leave it alone. If in
: your yard, it needs to be moved. I use
: a large cooler with a locking lid, and
: the same technique with the stick as I
: do in the field; lever the snake into
: the cooler, tap the rim of the cooler
: (to get it to keep its head down), and
: lock the lid down. When I get it to
: where I am moving it, I unlock the
: cooler, push it on its side, push off
: the top, and allow the snake to move
: off.
: I have done this several times, both
: with Copperheads and Rattlers, and the
: thing is to m-o-v-e s-l-o-w-l-y so
: as not to frighten the snake into
: thinking it is being eaten.
: Hope all this helps.
: Alex, forum owner
:
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