Watch your step (snakes)!

[Geo]

Went for a run last night just after 7...

We were just past the Draper Lake bridge heading east on the bikepath when my running partner jumped backward in midstride...

About 4 feet in front of him was a 2-3 ft. rattlesnake- I believe a Diamondback coiled up with its mouth open looking like it was ready to strike. My buddy is lucky he saw the snake cuz it surely would have got him if he continued his forward stride...

We kept a distance and watched this beautiful creature. It grew tired of waiting for us and slithered away into the foilage on the right...

Be careful out there!!!

 

[AAbsolute]

Over the past 10 years working in construction here we have come across many, many snakes and most times they are not harmful, however...

I have caught and released 2 Pygmy rattlesnakes in Seacrest Beach. 2 Pygmy rattlers in Cypress Breeze. 2 Water moccasin in Watercolor. The biggest poisonous snake I have ever seen was a Water moccasin during the drought in 2001 cruising along the tops of some scrub oak in Rosemary Beach. There was a Mocking Bird harrasing the heck out of it as it moved around, I assume looking for water.

Those Water Moaccosin or Cottonmouth are the only snakes I have ever encountered that will actually chase you aggressively if you get to close. It seems to me that all the others would just assume curl up defensively and move away at their first chance.

Thanks for the interesting post.

 

[Smiling JOe]

snakes like to hang out on trails because their prey also use trails. Speaking of looking out for wildlife in your path, yesterday, I had wildlife in my sandal. I was walking in the yard, and thought I got a stick in my sandal. I shook my shoe, loosely on my foot, but the stick never came out. I waited until I got back to the porch, then tried to shake it out again. It was lodged under my toes. I slipped my foot out of the sandal and what do I see? I big@ss Wolf Spider! I shook him out, and he was still alive, but I noticed some "juice" in the bottom of my shoe. Not sure if he tried to poop on my or whether I squashed him a little. Either way, that part was gross. I got pics for RiverOtter, but still in camera.

 

[AAbsolute]

Hey Smiling Joe

I saw a girl in Santa Rosa Beach kill what we thought was a huge wolf spider ( I really don't know ) and when she hit it with her shoe about 100 little spiders took off running in every direction. It was a horror

 

[Geo]

snakes like to hang out on trails because their prey also use trails. Speaking of looking out for wildlife in your path, yesterday, I had wildlife in my sandal. I was walking in the yard, and thought I got a stick in my sandal. I shook my shoe, loosely on my foot, but the stick never came out. I waited until I got back to the porch, then tried to shake it out again. It was lodged under my toes. I slipped my foot out of the sandal and what do I see? I big@ss Wolf Spider! I shook him out, and he was still alive, but I noticed some "juice" in the bottom of my shoe. Not sure if he tried to poop on my or whether I squashed him a little. Either way, that part was gross. I got pics for RiverOtter, but still in camera.

WOW! Post the pics, please. I leave shoes outside the door when they have sand in/on them. I need to start performing a thorough inspection before I put them back on...

At least it was a wolf and not something else...

I don't believe they are harmful but they do look scary!

 

[Landlocked]

I saw a girl in Santa Rosa Beach kill what we thought was a huge wolf spider ( I really don't know ) and when she hit it with her shoe about 100 little spiders took off running in every direction. It was a horror

:leaving: Thank you so much for sending that chill down my spine. Now my entire body is itching.

 

[ASH]

Need to always check your shoes, especially if you leave them out in the open. Guess where scorpions like to hide.......??

 

[aggieb]

brown recluse spiders like mr. aggb so much he's been bitten 3X.

 

[pgurney]

Yes, watch your step, your shoes and where you are about to put your hands too!

I have one of the garden hose thingees, where you crank the handle to roll up your hose..it has a hinged top so you can get to the hose if needed. It sits outside the door and we use it to hose off our feet prior to entry. The shoes usually get left out beside it when they are sandy.

A couple of weeks ago I saw the hose needed to be replaced, unwound the hose, flipped open the lid and reached down to disconnect the old hose. When my hand got about 6 inches away from the coupling I see a black widow resting on the side of it. Scary stuff when you come close to grabbing a black widow, or leaving your shoes right next to its home.

 

[ckhagen]

I know of at least 4 people who've found rattlers in their yards in the past couple of months. Is that normal? I mean, I know they're around, but this summer seems to be different from the past in the numbers.

I found a huge spider right outside my door yesterday. We uh... took care of it this morning when it was still there because we were unable to determine what kind of spider it was and it was very close to being able to just waltz right in my door. With little kiddies in the house, that's so not cool.