Hey Zach here’s the snake I almost stepped on when I was talking to you on the phone today. After I realized it wasn’t a Copperhead I caught it. It turned out to be one of those rare snakes that are gentle and won’t try to bite or musk you. The kids and I really had a good time playing with this little guy. We later released it in the woods a little further from the house.
Barry I rarely kill anything unless I intend to eat it and maybe the random spider … I’ve been catching snakes all my life and I thought this would be a good opportunity to teach the girls how to tell when a snake isn’t poison. You know the round pupils and split scales behind the rectum. Of course you gota catch it in most cases to see these things. It took a little coaxing to get my youngest to hold it but she warmed up to it eventually. A few years age we caught a green tree snake and she was fine with it. I guess this one looked a little more menacing.
What a beautiful snake. Red rats are nearly always easy going. Also, they are nearly always called “copperhead” and killed–so kudos to you for not taking a shovel to it. I usually grab snakes and I usually get musked. Pretty rare to find a docile AND non-stinky snake. Thanks for the nice shots.
Phil, what kind of snake is that one in the water???
I used to be very uneasy about snakes, then we actually bought one. Fascinating. I have a new fondness for them now. This is a Florida King snake named Belle (short for Cabelas).
Ed I’m guessing it was a copperhead, but it could’ve been something else. It definately had the big pointy head with the big pointy teeth inside so I knew enough not to play with it.
It’s a lighter color than I’m used to seeing (and the blurriness does help) but it looks like a water moccasin to me. You can tell by the darker stripe behind the eye.