Posted by Alex, forum owner on August 17, 2005, 3:19 pm, in reply to "Copperhead" --Previous Message-- I would suggest not trying to give them to the museum; they probably have plenty, and the "hole" left in the habitat made by the missing snake is simply going to be filled very quickly by a snake with no territory. Best bet is probably to be hyper aware of the surroundings, and practice vigilance, and monitoring of children.
66.169.81.148
: I have some familarity with most of the
: snakes in NC. I have lived from Murphy
: and as far east as Raleigh. I have a
: friend in the Clayton NC area that has
: a high concentration of copperheads.
: Enough that his father-in-law was bite
: and most recently his dog. He now has
: a new born and would like to have some
: knowledge of the copperheads habits to
: proactivley understand how to live with
: this natural inhabitant. His property
: and surrounding area are definitely the
: habitat for this snake. We are
: interested in transfering the snakes
: when found to the NC Natural Science
: facility. Any assitance or advice is
: apprecited.
:
I can understand the worry of being bitten by Copperheads, and the worry of having a young one bitten.
Copperheads rely on cryptic coloration in order to practice the "sit and wait" predation that they do so well. It is also a problem for hikers, joggers, and other people.
The main thing is to watch where you put your feet, and don't reach under anything where you can't see your fingers. Stay on cleared trails, and if you walk off trail, watch for anything that looks s little out of place; I have almost walked over Copperheads without seeing them, they are camouflaged so well.
Catching them is not hard; just keep all parts of your body at least the snake's length from the snake. Don't use a forked stick; too big and the snake can slip out, too small and the snake's neck is broken.
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