I know what one looks like in a pot of grease. I love to eat snakes. Good stuff.
RBF
DH, that’s got to be the worst you’ve posted. I do dislike snakes and feel no remorse for killing one. But I’d have to have run out of tree bark, grass. beetles, and my belly rubbing a hole in my back bone before I’d ever eat a snake.
You may want to expand your culinary palate with this before dinner cocktail for a full on snake experience:
No, No and No… My new favorite wines are what Duplin has to offer. Good stuff. I like the Carolina Red, cool muscadine…, heck i haven’t had one that was bad. They even have some alcohol free varieties that are fantastic. Cheap too.
quote:Larry, I knew there was something about you that seemed to be in common with me. You're a fellow swamp tromper.
Note my signature line
quote: He and Dr. Seashole started the SC Herpetocultural Society back in the early 90's, and I was a member for a couple of years.
Steve Bennett has been working with the SC DNR as a herpetologist since he graduated college in 1978. Still does. I’m sure he was involved in that project too, if it involved SC herpetology. He also writes a lot of articles in the SC Wildlife magazine.
You are confirmed correct, it is a baby black racer:sunglasses: I would not have guessed that. Learn something new every day
I know what one looks like in a pot of grease. I love to eat snakes. Good stuff.
RBF
DH, that’s got to be the worst you’ve posted. I do dislike snakes and feel no remorse for killing one. But I’d have to have run out of tree bark, grass. beetles, and my belly rubbing a hole in my back bone before I’d ever eat a snake.
You may want to expand your culinary palate with this before dinner cocktail for a full on snake experience:
No, No and No… My new favorite wines are what Duplin has to offer. Good stuff. I like the Carolina Red, cool muscadine…, heck i haven’t had one that was bad. They even have some alcohol free varieties that are fantastic. Cheap too.
You’re getting soft my friend… Too much culture and refinement in your preferred thrifty wine…
Over here we have the 1983 vintage bottle of Wild Irish Rose, and with an accompaniment of our not too strong Strawberry Boone’s Farm.
I’ve never heard him before, very good, liked it He looks like Grizzly Adams but he sure can pick that guitar. If I could do that I’d never sand another boat. Good music for an ignorant country boy and certified swamp worshiper!
I’ve never heard him before, very good, liked it He looks like Grizzly Adams but he sure can pick that guitar. If I could do that I’d never sand another boat. Good music for an ignorant country boy and certified swamp worshiper!
Thanks for the additional info , how far do c-mouths venture from wet/damp areas , its 1/4 mile to the creek with drought conditions up
here . I’m just glad I had my flashlight otherwise I’d have stepped
on the dang thing.
Thanks for the additional info , how far do c-mouths venture from wet/damp areas , its 1/4 mile to the creek with drought conditions up
here . I’m just glad I had my flashlight otherwise I’d have stepped
on the dang thing.
When you see “Old Glory” waving in the breeze, know that it is the dying breaths of our fallen hero’s that makes it wave.
author unknown
I have been bitten twice by two different species of snakes, and both of them died within 20 minutes after their attack. I’ll be more than happy to come over and drink all your liquor and sit in the yard for an evening and kill that snake… I typically get hungry and horny around midnight, but for an additional fee I’ll behave…
Had a cottonmouth chase me, my dad, and our tractor down a street one day. I don’t know where but he had some balls. I was young so he didn’t want to risk stopping to shoot it and it get on the tractor with us.
I’m not sure anyone can tell you exactly how close they stay to water, but most of the ones I ever saw (which is a lot) were either in the water, on the edge of the water, sitting on a stump over the water, or crossing a road adjacent to the water. However, I have found a couple of juveniles that were on roads farther away from a substantial water source (probably at least 1/4 mile or more.) In college, I kept one juvenile and named it Moxy.
Keep in mind that the necessary water source could just be a low area or ditch that commonly holds water enough to hold small fish or amphibians, not necessarily a large pond or lake. They like to eat fish and amphibians. I’m not sure I’d write it off as a moccasin because water is 1/4 of a mile away. Animals don’t read the books and tend to do unexpected things every now and then. The description sounds pretty fitting.
With that being said, as I said before, it’s really hard to identify snakes based solely on an oral description. More importantly, unless experience with reptiles, people are almost always wrong when they identify a snake as venomous (because there are far more harmless snakes than venomous in the United States, and people tend to think everything that slithers is venomous.) Almost every time someone told me, “I saw a copperhead” (or a rattlesnake, coral snake, or cottonmouth), when I actually get to the neighbor’s yard, it turned out to be a harmless rat snake or water snake. One time, a buddy of mine was certain that he had killed a venomous snake. He texted me the picture. It was a southern hognose–one of my very favorite species.
Still, it sounds like you may have confronted a cottonmouth. When in doubt, leave it alone and warn the kids.
P.S., An interesting fact is that the majority of venomous snake bites happen when people are trying to kill venomous snakes.
quote:Larry, I knew there was something about you that seemed to be in common with me. You're a fellow swamp tromper.
Note my signature line
quote: He and Dr. Seashole started the SC Herpetocultural Society back in the early 90's, and I was a member for a couple of years.
Steve Bennett has been working with the SC DNR as a herpetologist since he graduated college in 1978. Still does. I’m sure he was involved in that project too, if it involved SC herpetology. He also writes a lot of articles in the SC Wildlife magazine.
You are confirmed correct, it is a baby black racer:sunglasses: I would not have guessed that. Learn something new every day
Capt. Larry Teuton
Swamp Worshiper
Roger that on your signature line.
I expected that a lot of people would be surprised to learn that it was a black racer. That’s partly why I posted it–because I figured most people would not expect young black racers to have a pattern. In fact, when I first caught my first juvenile black racer as a youngster myself, I was surprised to see the pattern, but if you ever look really closely at an adult racer, the pattern is sometimes still faintly visible (not always.)
Racers are actually pretty cool critters. They’re mean to handle, but they’ll eat just about any live animal that will fit in their mouths.
If y’all ever get a chance, a visit to the Edisto Serpentarium on feeding day
Way back when I was younger, The Serpentarium wasn’t there, but there was “The Snake Pit.” Mr. Clamp would go in there and handle the snakes no problem. He’d been around them so much he was completely fearless.
It’s amazing how many people just kill every snake in site. Patterned back does not equal instant death. I’d rather have a non-venomous snake in my yard than a bunch of rats.
“Edaniel is a compromising liberal, according to past threads, so consider that info here too.” - mac daddy
Last year a black racer was shedding and somehow got in the middle of my yard in the hot sun.I eased up and picked it up and walked it to the woods.it went in stopped and raised it ,s head up to see what had grabbed it.it was covered in old shed and i know it could not see.I saw it again this year twice near my back door.
GC;
Appreciate the info and comments, I’ve lived with snakes all my life
although I don’t really know many by type or name and don’t fear the ones I can see and don’t kill one unless I know its poisonous around
the house. I’d rather have the snakes than the mice and rats, but
any snake that acts like that one the other night I don’t want around.
I’m not sure anyone can tell you exactly how close they stay to water, but most of the ones I ever saw (which is a lot) were either in the water, on the edge of the water, sitting on a stump over the water, or crossing a road adjacent to the water. However, I have found a couple of juveniles that were on roads farther away from a substantial water source (probably at least 1/4 mile or more.) In college, I kept one juvenile and named it Moxy.
Keep in mind that the necessary water source could just be a low area or ditch that commonly holds water enough to hold small fish or amphibians, not necessarily a large pond or lake. They like to eat fish and amphibians. I’m not sure I’d write it off as a moccasin because water is 1/4 of a mile away. Animals don’t read the books and tend to do unexpected things every now and then. The description sounds pretty fitting.
With that being said, as I said before, it’s really hard to identify snakes based solely on an oral</font id=“size3”></font id=“blue”> description. More importantly, unless experience with reptiles, people are almost always wrong when they identify a snake as venomous (because there are far more harmless snakes than venomous in the United States, and people tend to think everything that slithers is venomous.) Almost every time someone told me, “I saw a copperhead” (or a rattlesnake, coral snake, or cottonmouth), when I actually get to the neighbor’s yard, it turned out to be a harmless rat snake or water snake. One time, a buddy of mine was certain that he had killed a venomous snake. He texted me the picture. It was a southern hognose–one of my very favorite species.
Still, it sounds like you may have confronted a cottonmouth. When in doubt, leave it alone and warn the kids.
10-4, all. I’m really glad to see so many people who appreciate the less-loved wildlife here in our Lowcountry. When I was growing up, there weren’t many people who would think twice before killing anything without legs. I was always that kid who ran over to save the snake from the hoe. OK, now, Ithaca, don’t do a takeoff on “hoe”.
I’m not sure anyone can tell you exactly how close they stay to water, but most of the ones I ever saw (which is a lot) were either in the water, on the edge of the water, sitting on a stump over the water, or crossing a road adjacent to the water. However, I have found a couple of juveniles that were on roads farther away from a substantial water source (probably at least 1/4 mile or more.) In college, I kept one juvenile and named it Moxy.
Keep in mind that the necessary water source could just be a low area or ditch that commonly holds water enough to hold small fish or amphibians, not necessarily a large pond or lake. They like to eat fish and amphibians. I’m not sure I’d write it off as a moccasin because water is 1/4 of a mile away. Animals don’t read the books and tend to do unexpected things every now and then. The description sounds pretty fitting.
With that being said, as I said before, it’s really hard to identify snakes based solely on an oral</font id=“size3”></font id=“blue”> description. More importantly, unless experience with reptiles, people are almost always wrong when they identify a snake as venomous (because there are far more harmless snakes than venomous in the United States, and people tend to think everything that slithers is venomous.) Almost every time someone told me, “I saw a copperhead” (or a rattlesnake, coral snake, or cottonmouth), when I actually get to the neighbor’s yard, it turned out to be a harmless rat snake or water snake. One time, a buddy of mine was certain that he had killed a venomous snake. He texted me the picture. It was a southern hognose–one of my very favorite s
My theory about snakes - venomous or not - is that for every one you see, there are a hundred or more that you don’t see. Kinda like sharks. I figure I’ve walked within a few feet of hundreds (thousands?) of poisonous snakes in my life without seeing them, and I know for certain I’ve swam/surfed with thousand of sharks without seeing them. The itsy-bitsy part of my brain what be rational tells me that there is no reason to fear snakes (for the most part). That part of my brain shuts down when an actual snake surprises me, and I shreik like a school girl.
If you’re lucky enough to be fishing, you’re lucky enough.
quote:My theory about snakes - venomous or not - is that for every one you see, there are a hundred or more that you don't see. Kinda like sharks. I figure I've walked within a few feet of hundreds (thousands?) of poisonous snakes in my life without seeing them, and I know for certain I've swam/surfed with thousand of sharks without seeing them. The itsy-bitsy part of my brain what be rational tells me that there is no reason to fear snakes (for the most part). That part of my brain shuts down when an actual snake surprises me, and I shreik like a school girl.
Agree completely, I’ve been known to squeal like a little girl too when I step on them barefoot before I see them. I’ve been known to squeal like a little girl through my snorkel tube too. Ask my wife:smiley:
We came across this one this morning on the step to my shop. Dog and I were walking Mrs. Cracker to her car. She stepped right over it. I said, snake! She screamed and jumped about 10’ I saw it first.
After she got her breath back, she asks what is it? I tell her it’s a just a baby black racer. No problem. She asks how I know that. I say I know everything
I would not have known it last week though, so thanks to Lee. I picked it up and relocated it to the grape vines, where it would surprise her later today. Cool little snake. It had blue eyes. Didn’t even try to bite me when I picked it up.
Lee, tell me what you think this little one is… I think it is a little copperhead, but not certain. Also released alive in the woods.
He looks like Grizzly Adams but he sure can pick that guitar. If I could do that I’d never sand another boat. Good music for an ignorant country boy and certified swamp worshiper!
