Water Moccasin

Holy schnikes!

...you were calm enough to "shoot" it.

:shock: ...and you are spending all your time worrying about Dog Flies. :funn:

:shock: ...and you are spending all your time worrying about Dog Flies. :funn:

If they slithered, I'd shoot them too!

Are you sure that isn't a non-poisonous Brown Water Snake?

Good call SJ-
look at the head. Looks a lot like a banded water snake to me.

Are you sure that isn't a non-poisonous Brown Water Snake?

Let me know after it bites you! Check the Audobon's field guide.

Let me know after it bites you! Check the Audobon's field guide.

Checked, and your ID is still in question.

Let me know after it bites you! Check the Audobon's field guide.

I have a vivid memory of most pictures in that book. ;-)

Here's another pic

The venom of a Water moccasin is similar to a Brown Recluse, rotting flesh. Very nasty. Heard of a water skiier on a lake north of DFS that fell into a nest of them. Didn't survive.

I believe one identifying mark of the Cottonmouth is the horizontal black strip along the side of its face. I'm not a snake guy, but I believe that to be the non-venomous variety of snake. Either way, I wouldn't want it trying to get inside my house to have babies. Did you shoot it through the screen porch or window?

I believe one identifying mark of the Cottonmouth is the horizontal black strip along the side of its face. I'm not a snake guy, but I believe that to be the non-venomous variety of snake. Either way, I wouldn't want it trying to get inside my house to have babies. Did you shoot it through the screen porch or window?

Actually used a hoe to get it into the yard away from the house, then shot it.

The venom of a Water moccasin is similar to a Brown Recluse, rotting flesh. Very nasty. Heard of a water skiier on a lake north of DFS that fell into a nest of them. Didn't survive.

Wow, a nest, huh? Didn't know they lived in nests.

Actually most of the moccasins I have seen are dark ,almost black like that one and the black stripe kinda fades into the body and what I notice is more like 2 yellowish stripes on the side of the head.

water moccasin or cottonmouth, highly venomous snake of the swamps and bayous of the S United States. A good climber, the water moccasin often relaxes on branches overhanging the water. If startled it erects its head and shows the white interior of its mouth?hence the name cottonmouth. It eats both warm-blooded and cold-blooded animals. It is aggressive in the wild state but may become quite tame in captivity.

This is the very same type of snake that fell off of a branch of a tree and landed coiled up right in front of my feet. And this was beside my husband's uncles house down in the country. Down behind his house though was a swampy type pond. It's odd he wasn't relaxing up in a tree above that pond instead of by that house.

I did a huge jump backward as did my mother-in-law and then I went inside and got my husband's uncle and he came out with his shotgun and shot it twice. The poison smell was so strong it was unbelievable. My husband could not believe that it fell from any tree.

The poison smell was so strong it was unbelievable.

I think that was gun powder;-)

Looking at another refetence issued by the FWC, the snake closely resembles the non-poisonous Southern Water Snake.

I think that was gun powder;-)

I wished it would have been. I really think the fall stunned the snake as it didn't make any move after falling. Only I made the move.

Well...if the head looks at all triangular, I am not going to bend over (with my eyes, that would be required) a dark-looking snake to see if it has stripes by the eye, or an elliptical pupil, or keeled scales, or all the other signs.

While I would be trying to identify it, dam thing would probably grab hold of my leg. Hello, Sacred Heart ICU.

And yes, all snakes have "dens" or "nests" or whatever you want to call them. They also tend to pair off.

Are you sure that isn't a non-poisonous Brown Water Snake?

Looks like a cottonheaded water rattler to me.

Either way, I wouldn't want it trying to get inside my house to have babies.

Uh, yeah...clearly this is a trespassing issue.

Wow, a nest, huh? Didn't know they lived in nests.

Gah. Have you never seen "Lonesome Dove?"

Grace and SJ, y'all are hereby forbidden to post on the same thread until one of you gets a less icky 'tar. Bleh! I'd rather look at a nest of slugs.

Grace and SJ, y'all are hereby forbidden to post on the same thread until one of you gets a less icky 'tar. Bleh! I'd rather look at a nest of slugs.

Amen, Bro!

Amen, Bro!

Speaking of misidentified snakes, I'm a sistah!

Well...if the head looks at all triangular, I am not going to bend over (with my eyes, that would be required) a dark-looking snake to see if it has stripes by the eye, or an elliptical pupil, or keeled scales, or all the other signs.

While I would be trying to identify it, dam thing would probably grab hold of my leg. Hello, Sacred Heart ICU.

And yes, all snakes have "dens" or "nests" or whatever you want to call them. They also tend to pair off.

Wow, I never knew they were social creatures.