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Big Mean Cottonmouth

  • Thread starter Ozzy
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Ozzy

SirKristoff is a poopiehead
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I was testing out my 4 wheel drive today for the first time. There is this place in the swamp that I have always wanted to go to but I didn't have the vehicle for it. So I decided to make it my first trip. The place is miles from the closest paved road, so I figured there has got to be some giant snakes back here. It was really hot today so I didn't expect to find any. I didn't even bring my camera.

Anyway I was going down a dirt road at about 20 or 30 mph. At the last second I saw a snake in the road. I missed him by only inches. I slammed on the brakes and jumped out with my snake hook. I could see him from where I stopped and he was in the classic cottonmouth pose. Head pointed to the sky and mouth wide open. I approached and he stood his ground, he didn't even think about running away. Everytime I would move he would show me his big white mouth and shake his tail. I picked him up and took a good look at him. His tail was a pretty yellowish green color. The coolest thing about him was his eyes. The coloration near the bottom of his eyes was red and so was the bottom half of his pupil. I stuck a piece of wire in his mouth and pulled his fangs back and I was amazed by their length. I spent about 5 mins with this guy and the whole time he let me know he didn't trust me but he never struck at me.

I was so bummed that I left my camera at home, but I did get a pic of him with my phone.
OK are you ready for this monster?










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Wow! he is is a monster! A real legend in his own mind.
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Give him a couple years and he'll be up there, though.

For a camara phone pic it's not half bad.
 
>_>
 
Well, as usual, you had me going on that one. That must have been a MONSTER of a boot to make that snake look so small!
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It is, it's a size 13.
 
Cute snake!
And a well-executed running shoe-size quip.
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Nice work!
 
Gorgeous little fella!
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (BigCarnivourKid @ July 04 2006,8:55)]Wow! he is is a monster! A real legend in his own mind.
smile_n_32.gif


Give him a couple years and he'll be up there, though.

For a camara phone pic it's not half bad.
I wasn't really trying to fool you. I gave plenty of hints to let you know it was a baby. Look at the subtitle, and the line about the yellowish green tail. That makes it very clear it's a baby.
 
Nah, ya didn't fool me Oz. I have a habit of reading the pics first (easier on my brain). I just liked your subtitle "At least he thought he was" . I thought the "legend in his own mind" fit that pretty good. But then I'm biased. LOL
 
  • #10
Yep!  Those cottonmouths have a bad attitude...even at that age.  He is kinda' cute though.
I saw one down on monument trail that defended his little pod of eatin' size tadpoles from two grown men.  We splashed water on him with our boots and he still wouldn't back down.
 
  • #11
Cottonmouths are very misunderstood, as all snakes are. Cottonmouths have a reputation of being very aggressive. I have found that not true. Now I'm sure there are some very aggressive individuals, but none of the ones I have ever had contact with have been aggressive at all. There is an old saying about them that seems to be very true. First they are cowards. Next they are bluffers. Then they are warriors. If they know you're coming towards them they will head for the closest water and disappear. If you surprise them they will almost always stand their ground. They will use different tactics to scare you away. Hold their mouth open and show you their fangs is their first and favorite bluff. They will also expand their body to look bigger than they really are, and they will shake their tail on the ground to sound like a rattlesnake. I have never personally seen one get to the warrior phase. I have never even had a cottonmouth attempt to strike at me. I heard about a study that tested how much a cottonmouth would take before striking. Every cottonmouth tested would only strike if stepped on or restrained where it couldn't escape. Even if lightly handled they didn't strike. That don't sound aggressive to me at all, but defensive just the same as any other wild animal.
I have found that copperheads are slightly more aggressive that cottonmouths. Cottonmouths will use the bluffing tactic until they are left alone or pushed to the point that have to bite. Copperheads will shake it's tail and stay ready to strike. If you come towards it it will do a few bluff strikes even if you are way out of it's strike range. It'll just strike at the air. Then if you get close enough it will strike and make contact.
 
  • #12
well they are still very venomous regaurdless of age.
Alex
 
  • #13
Water moccasins aren't aggressive; they're just confident.  I saw plenty in Mississippi when they had more than enough time to hide or get away, but they didn't bother to.  We had rattlesnakes and copperheads too, but I think they prefer not to be seen.  I almost never saw a live copperhead and never did see a live rattlesnake.

One time a few of us in college went canoeing in northern Arkansas and the water moccasins up there were light-colored, almost like copperheads, but with the same patterning as regular water moccasins.  Our last evening there, a baby about the size of your little friend kept swimming at my feet while I was fishing on the bank of the river.  Not being aggressive - it was just hanging out.  It was weirding me out, so I moved upstream.  Within a few minutes it was at my feet again.  Maybe the river was full of them and they all like feet, but I think that snake followed me.  It's things like that that made me decide to move north.
 
  • #14
It's things like that that made me move back South. LOL
 
  • #15
You have great eye sight Ozzy!
 
  • #16
I wonder how badly it would turn out if a guy was bitten by one as small as the one you encountered.
I know they are venomous...or is it poisonus?...from birth but how much venom could they inject?
 
  • #17
it says in this book i have that even babies are capable of giving a lethal bite. but that is only based on how much venom is injected. more venom=greater risk. venom-a poison that is injected throught the use of fangs, stingers etc. poision- a poison that is usually used in defense and can lie in the makers blood stream or be secreted from the skin.
Alex
 
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