Pygmy Rattlesnakes

We've seen bobcat tracks in the sand at Topsail Hill SP a couple of times in recent years.

Also saw a road kill black bear on FL 20 just east of Choctaw Beach last fall. The bears will occasionally get pretty far into civilization. A couple years back, one of them developed a taste for Krystal Burgers, and had to be trapped and relocated to a state forest in the Big Bend (where they send all the bad, bad bears) because he wouldn't stop dumpster-diving at the Krystal by Santa Rosa Mall.

heh
I found a scorpion in the house during our first couple weeks here. I was horrified yet fascinated.
I think I am more scared of snakes.
What about putting that yellow sulphur stuff at the perimeter of your yard? That's what somebody told me to do.

Some peeps who live in the country here use it around their homes and under porches/crawl spaces. (Can get "soil sulphur" for this.)
I put it around our foundation once a year.

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Bass Pro Shops stocks snake boots. ....................................

Won't work! These snakes are trained well!




Always carry a flagon of whiskey in case of snakebite and furthermore always carry a small snake. - WC Fields

As long as you are mentioning spiders, we also have the Brown Recluse, which I find on occasion, but fortunately, unlike a friend of mine, we don't have Crocodiles, Monkeys, and Cobras.

We do have what the older folks call "spreading adders," which try to act like a cobra and will play dead if spreading its neck and hissing and spitting doesn't scare you off. Many folks say they are poisonous, but I think this is actually the Eastern hognose, which isn't poisonous but puts on a show to make you think it is.

If you see one, don't pick it up *just in case.*

At least these guys haven't made it that far north:

http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060602/BREAKINGNEWS/60602012/1086

CAPE CORAL, Fla. ? One minute, the 6-foot, 2-inch Nile monitor lizard was anticipating a tasty meal of raw, smelly chicken scraps.

The next, the door swung closed behind it, and the exotic reptile ? estimated to be the second-largest ever captured in the city ? was a statistic in Cape Coral?s effort to erase its current distinction as holding the largest population of the 4- to 7-foot lizards in the United States.

When I visited last month one of the locals told me they call these snakes "two steppers". They hid in the trees and drop down and bite. Two steps and your in heaven or hell

When I visited last month one of the locals told me they call these snakes "two steppers". They hid in the trees and drop down and bite. Two steps and your in heaven or hell

Pygmy rattlers are not considered deadly, and I've never heard of any rattler climbing trees. Did you mean a different snake?

That's what I read, too, Kurt, in most cases. If I or anyone I knew was bitten by a snake, spider, or whatever, I'd just get them or myself to one of the local doctors and hospitals to check it out. In most cases it would be fine, but it's good to check. Every now and then someone could have a bad reaction. We have some good doctors along 30A and I'm assuming they're familiar with the different kinds of bites people can get in the area -- I hope they are. We keep the phone numbers to physicans and hospitals at our cottages on the fridge or by the phone just in case guests need them.

I am not a herpetologist so don't take this as gold-plated gospel, but I have read that none of the North American poisonous snakes (copperheads, moccasins, rattlesnakes and coral snakes) climb trees.

A number of non-poisonous snakes do. Including pine snakes and rat snakes which are some of the most common ones you see around here. We have one that has shown up in our backyard twice over a one-year period. He climbs a small oak and wraps himself around our birdfeeder, waiting for dinner. It's kind of a combination birdfeeder/snakefeeder to paraphrase Tim Allen.

The banded water snake looks remarkably like a cross between a copperhead and a moccasin. I shot a whole bunch of them in our backyard one year before I learned to tell the difference. They are very aggressive and they do climb trees but they are not poisonous. The bite can become infected though.

When I posted my message about two stepper snakes (by a local). I did it with a chuckle & tounge in cheek message. I know Pygmy Rattlesnakes don't climb trees. The local probably wanted us to go home & scare the wife. Wife now has lots of big brimed hats. Guess I should tip the locals a little better than 15% in So-Wal.

Info on pygmy rattlesnakes

http://www.herpsofnc.org/herps_of_NC/snakes/Sis_mil.html

Oh my gosh!! That is the snake that was on my screened back porch last week!! The red one!! Well at least we know now, but I'm not going back there!

Just read this thread, Have quite a story about pygmies.....

My daughter (little IBD) was bitten by a pygmy rattler when she was 3. She was at my moms house over by camp creek golf course. Got her to Hospital in PC, Sacred heart did not have or did not have enough anti-venom at the time. We ended up not needing any of it at all....she was in the Hospital for 1 week. She lost the very tip end of her middle left finger. After some reconstructive surgery she is ok. Finger is a little altered. She thought the snake was "cute" b/c it was so small and so she bent down to the snake to show it her toy...so tell your youngsters that it is not a toy...We have also seen pygmys here in Inlet as well .They do blend in with nature very well and being small makes them more dangerous b/c you can not see them as well...

I just heard a story about the scorpions. My neighbor across the street recieved a planted cactus from her neice in Arizona. It was about 8 inches high and 3 or 4 inches around. my neighbor's daughter and my neighbor were admiring the cactus yesterday when it began to vibrate and shake. They immediatly called the florist to fing out what they could tell them. The florist told them go get out of the house as soon as possible and the florist would call an exterminator. It seems the cactus was loaded with scorpion eggs and they were statring to hatch. By the time the exterminator arrived the cactus had exploded and the little scorpions were all over the house. They will not be able to get back into the house until tomorrow. I have never heard of this and especially not up north.

I just heard a story about the scorpions. My neighbor across the street recieved a planted cactus from her neice in Arizona. It was about 8 inches high and 3 or 4 inches around. my neighbor's daughter and my neighbor were admiring the cactus yesterday when it began to vibrate and shake. They immediatly called the florist to fing out what they could tell them. The florist told them go get out of the house as soon as possible and the florist would call an exterminator. It seems the cactus was loaded with scorpion eggs and they were statring to hatch. By the time the exterminator arrived the cactus had exploded and the little scorpions were all over the house. They will not be able to get back into the house until tomorrow. I have never heard of this and especially not up north.

Wow, KISH - What an interesting story!


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Really sounds like it could have been one of those urban myths. If I hadn't seen it myself I would not have believed it. I spoke to a cousin out in Las Vegas and he said that the scorpions burrow into the cactus to lay their eggs because it is cool and when they hatch they have some water and food to live on.

I just heard a story about the scorpions. My neighbor across the street recieved a planted cactus from her neice in Arizona. It was about 8 inches high and 3 or 4 inches around. my neighbor's daughter and my neighbor were admiring the cactus yesterday when it began to vibrate and shake. They immediatly called the florist to fing out what they could tell them. The florist told them go get out of the house as soon as possible and the florist would call an exterminator. It seems the cactus was loaded with scorpion eggs and they were statring to hatch. By the time the exterminator arrived the cactus had exploded and the little scorpions were all over the house. They will not be able to get back into the house until tomorrow. I have never heard of this and especially not up north.

I am calling BS on this one since I read this in an email over a year ago, almost word for word.

Who knows the name of the site for searching internet myths?

Edit: Sorry, I am incorrect. The story was almost identical. In my email, the scorpions were tarantulas. Here is a link to the stories on snopes.com

A shorter version:
[font=Arial,Verdana]My cousin claims that she knew a women, through a close friend, who had been vacationing in Arizona. She decided to dig up a cactus to take home with her. When she arrived home she potted her new cactus and placed it in her living room. She was admiring it one morning only to find that the cactus was "breathing". Puzzled, the women called the local branch of the Dept of Agriculture in her area. She was told to shut all windows and doors and get out of the house immediately. It turns out the cactus had baby tarantulas inside and burst open just a few moments after the women escaped unharmed.[/font]

Hey, what can I tell you SJ. My wife was there when the exterminator arrived and I was there when they were cleaning out the house.

Hey, what can I tell you SJ. My wife was there when the exterminator arrived and I was there when they were cleaning out the house.

If your wife witnessed it, that is good enough for me. Isn't it crazy/wierd how close the two stories are?

I guess there is good reason in some of the laws preventing the importing of plants/produce/and animals.

Just read this thread, Have quite a story about pygmies.....

My daughter (little IBD) was bitten by a pygmy rattler when she was 3. She was at my moms house over by camp creek golf course. Got her to Hospital in PC, Sacred heart did not have or did not have enough anti-venom at the time. We ended up not needing any of it at all....she was in the Hospital for 1 week. She lost the very tip end of her middle left finger. After some reconstructive surgery she is ok. Finger is a little altered. She thought the snake was "cute" b/c it was so small and so she bent down to the snake to show it her toy...so tell your youngsters that it is not a toy...We have also seen pygmys here in Inlet as well .They do blend in with nature very well and being small makes them more dangerous b/c you can not see them as well...

That is very scary! In all my 52 years at Grayton, I have never seen or heard tell of the Pygmy's until this thread. I guess we have been fortunate! I have seen several other critters but not that one. As adventursome as I was when I was little, I'm surprised I didn't get bitten. Actually, I'm surprised I survived at all.:shock:

I say the best snake is a dead snake!

I say the best snake is a dead snake!

I second that! I can handle bugs, mice, and alligators, but snakes make my stomach turn; even pictures have that affect on me

Here is the link for Urban Legends dealing with scorpions in cacti.
I think a bluff has been called. :roll:

http://www.snopes.com/horrors/insects/cactus.htm

But if it actually did happen Kish should get as much media involved as possible. Because this is a story that's Too Good To Be True! :scratch:

Here is the link for Urban Legends dealing with scorpions in cacti.
I think a bluff has been called. :roll:

http://www.snopes.com/horrors/insects/cactus.htm

But if it actually did happen Kish should get as much media involved as possible. Because this is a story that's Too Good To Be True! :scratch:

Go back and read post # 68 & 69.;-)

Or #67.

This link offers some interesting information about critters that live in cactus.
It mentions both scorpions and pseudoscorpions hanging out in the saguaro.

insects and the saguaro

FWIW:
I used to spend a lot of time at a Denver nursery, buying houseplants and such. There were a couple of different times when a plant I bought had one of those little green frogs on it. Critters can sometimes hitch a ride.

edited to add: that story really freaked me out! I got a strong visual with the phrase "vibrate and shake." Ewww.