Posted by Alex, forum owner on May 14, 2005, 1:34 pm, in reply to "Nest of many baby snakes" --Previous Message--
66.169.86.127
: Yesterday, while cleaning my home I heard
: neighborhood kids screaming...I went
: outside to find that the kids had
: uncovered a nest of baby snakes and
: were chasing each other with them and
: playing with them...as I approached
: there were so many of them...they were
: brownish kind of pink...with diamond
: shaped heads that were a darker
: brown...when they opened there mouths
: there were no visible fangs but I would
: not touch...anyway...it is a mobile
: home park near the beach in eastern
: North Carolina...my parents always said
: do not hold a snake with a diamond
: shaped head....I am concerned for the
: kids...but do not want to unnecessarily
: detour their interest...what type of
: snake may it be....
:
That old saw about a diamond shaped head is as an old professor of mine would say, "an old husband's tale". He was very politically correct.
I would suspect them of being baby Black Racers; you didn't give any indication of pattern on the back.
Also, venomous snakes don't have nests as many other snakes do; they bear living young, hence the name Viper which simply means giving birth to live young, so to fiind a nest of them, you would have to be there at the time mom gave birth. Not at all an easy (or safe) thing to do.
I can tell you without any doubt the snakes were harmless, but if you can give any indication of back pattern, such as striped, blotched, banded or whatever, it would help greatly.
My mom and dad both told me to stay away from snakes with "diamond" shaped heads. It was many years later I learned they were in error. Many baby snakes have rather large heads (Rat Snakes come to mind) since they have to eat rather large prey. As they grow, their heads come more into proportion with their bodies, but most harmless snakes can spread their jaws out to look dangerous, so this criterion has no value in telling whether the snake is venomous.
You only have four (possibly five) venomous snakes in your area, and almost all of them are species of special concern, as they are so rare due to human persecution. They are the Timber Rattlesnake, the Cottonmouth (a snake of the swamps), the Pygmy Rattlesnake (tiny and not very dangerous, and cute besides) and the Copperhead (also not very dangerous, and quite pretty in your area). None of them will attack without provocation or being stepped on.
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