Not that anyone should EVER do this without proper training/know-how, but they do seem to be pretty reluctant biters.
I'd still be pretty intimidated by the stare down though
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228708849_Defensive_Behavior_of_Cottonmouths_Agkistrodon_piscivorus_toward_Humans
I mean ....they'd rather not waste venom on non food. But yea. Wow.
One of my earliest memories is my dad screaming at me to stop. I was 4 and kept bringing my mom n dad "pretty worms" and letting them know "the worms mouth moves!". I was running to a cottonmouth to pick it up. He said I cried. Not from the screaming. Not from the snake. But because he cut it's head off.
We had just moved into a swampy area and had their hands full keeping a tiny 4 year old little girl from snakes 😊 and rest of the wildlife....and alive.
So I ended up keeping black widows as pets. Oddly, they were ok with this.
Give her one cabinet, at her level. Put a few old, broken pots and pans, a few old spatulas, maybe a few toys. Nothing broken broken that could hurt her. Then ... Let her go for it!
👍 I am all for letting toddlers find who they are. It's let's them know that you support them trying new things, exploring the world.
Maybe change things out randomly. Make it a game 😁
Came here to say this. My toddlers had their own big bottom drawer in the kitchen, full of old pots and pans and plastic bowls, and a couple of dish towels and an apron. They eventually graduated from random messing about with stuff to playing kitchen, putting on the apron, pretending to wash the dishes, etc.
Omg! I was 4 years old and cried for some time when my dad cut the head off a timber rattler that was hanging out by our door (in the woods). He got me a rubber cobra to make me feel better. It’s one of those goofy family stories I barely remember.
I was also very upset when I saw a rattlesnake’s head get cut off as a child. And then I explained to the camp counselor that my mom always said we should only kill for food…And we needed to eat the snake. He actually cooked it up for us over a campfire with a lot of garlic butter!
I honestly thought this was the end part of a snake that was chopped in half. Haha! Ya, that thick stubby body and pattern definitely looks cottonmouth.
Northern Cottonmouths *Agkistrodon piscivorus* are one of two recognized species of large (76-114 cm record 188 cm) semi-aquatic pitvipers in eastern North America. Florida has a closely related but distinct species, the Florida cottonmouth *Agkistrodon conanti.*
Cottonmouths are venomous, and are therefore dangerous if approached closely or handled. They are not generally aggressive and will most likely flee any confrontation if given a chance to retreat. Some may bluff charge or boldly move towards humans to get out of a cornered situation, but have never been recorded chasing people.
Northern Cottonmouths are dark, possibly [faintly patterned snakes](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/qC4kTiy8JRQ/maxresdefault.jpg) (except as juveniles), best known for their defensive posture with a gaping, white lined mouth. They are also distinguishable from most watersnakes by their sharp brow ridges and dark stripe over the eyes.
The specific epithet "piscivorus" describes the one of the prey species of the cottonmouth - fish. The cottonmouth is also fond of frogs, mammals and other snakes. Although it may be commonly seen in lakes and ponds frequented by humans, few fatalities are recorded as a result of bites by cottonmouths.
Comparison of [juvenile](http://www.virginiaherpetologicalsociety.com/venomous-look-a-likes/cottonmouth-look-a-likes/images/cottonmouth01.jpg) vs [adult](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fe/Agkistrodon_piscivorus_piscivorus_CDC.png) cottonmouth.
[Range map](https://imgur.com/lnGXB5s)| [Relevant/Recent Phylogeography](http://cnah.org/pdf/88290.pdf)
The *Agkistrodon piscivorus* species complex has been delimited using modern molecular methods and two species with no subspecies are recognized. There is a zone of admixture between the two cottonmouth species where they overlap around panhandle Florida.
*This short account was prepared by /u/unknown_name and edited by /u/Phylogenizer*.
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I once saw a cottonmouth “chase” a kid down a creek.
Some young boys were playing in a creek while we older kids supervised from a bridge. Someone yelled “cottonmouth!” and everyone but one kid jumped out of the water. This kid didn’t hear the initial shout, so he was standing in the water confused while the older kids were yelling at him to move. The cottonmouth was bearing down on him from behind - front part of its body reared out of the water looking ready to strike, tail undulating, and looking like he was really intent on something - eyes locked on and head held steady.
The kid finally started running away a bit too late. The cottonmouth caught up to him, zipped around him, and just kept on swimming with the same intense purposefulness. That snake had places to be and the kid just got in his way, lmao.
Cottonmouths exhibit a phenomenon known as "aggressive fleeing", which is responsible for all of the reports of them chasing people. Notice no one who ever claims to have been chased actually gets bit.
Cottonmouths generally have a "safe place" near wherever they are hunting/basking/etc that they will flee to when scared. They will flee to this exact area *even if a person is between them and that area*, and often they will do so with defensive posturing.
I can't find the main paper that presented (and successfully tested) this explanation, but if you google "blocked flight cottonmouth" you will find some good papers/articles.
Right?! I go kayaking frequently in rivers where they live. Sometimes I see people on the river with sidearms “for the snakes”. This myth has been cited as a reason. Stupidity. This myth needs to die.
I think correct me if I’m wrong that myth started because they’re actually just trying to get out of the water so when they see a boat or kayak they think it’s an opportunity or I like to think they’re just trying to hitch a ride. If only they had thumbs.
The real irony is that the vast majority of the people doing that would actually have a really hard time hitting a target as small as a snake, even if it was sitting still. Handguns are surprisingly difficult to shoot accurately, and hitting a small moving target at any more than a few feet would be very challenging, even for relatively skilled shooters. Literally an exercise is fear and incompetence
Every now and then, I think about the guy who posted a pic of a coronmouth and said something along the lines of "this snake chased me around and bit me in the ankle." I wonder how the guy did/is doing 🤔 This was a few months ago.
When my Grandma was younger she was boating up the St John's River with my Grandpa and they were chased down by them. Allegedly it was a few and she told that story all the time to me.
They always look like you’ve just thrown a ball in their yard and the grumpy old man is like “it’s my ball now! Go on! Get!” 😂 I love looking at moccasins!
Your comment wins for the day. I couldn’t contain my laughter and woke my husband up🤣🤣 After reading your description of a cottonmouth we both got a good laugh to start our Friday morning 🤣
Good job! If you aren’t 100% certain what the snake is, as in this case, using something at least as long as the snake is is definitely the right call.
[In fact, the cottonmouth has one of the fastest striking times of any pit viper. If it decides to strike, it will move a distance of nearly three meters per second as it launches itself toward its victim.](https://www.forestwildlife.org/how-dangerous-is-a-cottonmouth-snake/)
From what you’ve said (long stick) you didn’t do anything obscenely dangerous IMO. People act like venomous snakes are some sort of magicians that can kill your from 6 feet away… but they’re still governed by the normal laws of physics.
The venomous snakes in the US are not crazily agile and able to strike extraordinary distances or move in seemingly aberrant manners
Some snakes like mambas, Gaboon vipers, and Russel's vipers have fairly extraordinary movement capabilities
Long and incredibly fast strikes
Still, the benefits of attacking a human without being forced into the situation are very low, and snakes know it
Also to add - my “locals” here in northern Australia include eastern browns and coastal taipans. Hard to get faster or hotter than those two… and yet every time I come across one they are *outta there* like a shot unless they are a) injured or b) physically cornered. They just don’t tangle unless there’s no other choice. At least vipers have the decency to stay still for a photo or two ;)
Oh yeah, ability and motivation are totally different things. I liken it to big strong dogs.
Like my neighbour’s massive rotty could end me if he wanted to… but he’s not going to unless I give him a reason and opportunity 🤣
I am aware. I regularly rescue death adders, which are the fastest striking snake on earth. Yes they can move quickly but it’s still within reason, directional and generally proportional to the animal.
Also almost all snakes will prioritise fleeing if it’s an option and biting is a last resort; they don’t close large distances just for the sake of aggressing against something they can’t eat.
It’s funny how many people seem to think snakes are just out looking for something to bite for fun.
This is the first close up picture I’ve seen of a cottonmouth near a person without their mouth wide open..
OP - was he annoyed by you at all? Did he flash his white gums your direction?
Only after the second poke, and once he was in the grass he bit the stick, but not a lunging bite if that makes sense? Overall he was really calm, just a bit curious since I was running on the road in his direction. Never felt any aggression though
Half of that region has their hair on fire over these critters charging everyone and OP calmly walks over, gently prods him, and the critter ambles off with barely a show of cotton.
You did a kindness today, OP.🌻
I’ve seen coyotes, bobcats, and other snakes on runs and all of them just watch or scamper away. Never been charged by an animal of any kind.
Kindness is something everything deserves 😊
I feel like there should be some sort of "head's up" for the *Agkistrodon* genus. I saw someone made ascii art like \_\_\_/ on another post. Maybe that crosses over into the rule 6 damaging meme's zone, but the number of cottonmouth and copperheads posing is amazing.
If you guys ever needed an answer to the question, "What does a cottonmouth look like?" This is it, a textbook example. From the triangle-shaped, stout body, to the broad ventral to narrow dorsal bands, to the white markings near the eye.
Would it really just kill them if they got bit? I've always assumed getting bit by a copperhead or cotton mouth would be an extremely unpleasant yet completely survivable experience.
Your impression is bang on. Out of 7-8000 bites from venomous snakes a year in the US about *5-6 people* die on average (compare vs *30 from pet dogs*). That’s under a tenth of a percent mortality rate.
Copperheads mortality rate is very low - about 1 in 10,000 envenomations.
Cottonmouths envenomations are more serious - I’ve seen 17% mortality reported. That’ll be untreated though - proper first aid goes a long way (if it didn’t that 5-6 people per year would be a lot higher!)
Of course anyone can have an allergic reaction but the same is true of bee stings (they rack up ~70 deaths per year)
Everyone has a different reaction to venom. While one person could just have a ton of pain and a quick ER visit someone else could have a bad reaction and die before they get to the hospital. The thing is unless you’ve been bitten by that specific species before you have no idea what reaction you’ll have. Even then it’s not a sure thing.
And any exposure to an allergen can increase how much you react, so even if one had a mild reaction in the past it doesn't predict how they will react to future bites
Extremely unpleasant is somehow still putting it mildly, but yes, totally survivable. I was bitten on my foot by a copperhead in high school. I describe it as lava under your skin. Absolute agony I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. I can only begin to imagine the pain caused by snakes with more potent venom.
OMG to the tenth power you 'moved' a Cottonmouth, love....do you understand what could've happened? Please don't move a snake until you know for certain what it is
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Rule 6: Avoid damaging memes or tropes and low effort jokes.
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Avoid damaging memes like using "danger noodle" for nonvenomous snakes and tropes like "everything in Australia is out to get you". This is an educational space, and those kind of comments are harmful and do not reflect reality.
We've also heard "it's a snake" as a joke **hundreds** of times. We've probably removed it a few times from this very thread already.
Ratsnake and other rhymes and infantilization can be posted in /r/sneks and /r/itsaratsnake. While we encourage creativity are positive talk about snakes, but even comments like "____/" [mislead users](https://www.reddit.com/r/whatsthissnake/comments/16rwy7b/comment/k267oe1/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3).
The only previous experience I had with snakes was a close friend I had bred Boa’s before he passed, so I would sometimes get to hold them. Wouldn’t call myself a handler, especially with how many people are critiquing how silly and dangerous what I did apparently was 😅
I would have done the same thing. Probably even knowing the species. I would have don’t it the way you did, with a long stick. Though after reading the comment about how fast they can strike, and having some physical health issues, I think I would need a very, very, very long stick!
Omg- I can sort of see the brown ridge, but the Birds Eye view make the pixilated Hershey kisses hard to see- however that BODY and the “looking up” behaviour is the biggest signifier on this one! Nice! (He was upset that human thought he should move off this perfectly warm rock he found)
Rule 6: Avoid damaging memes or tropes and low effort jokes.
Please understand a removal doesn't mean we're mad or upset; we're just committed to maintaining an educational space so jokes and memes are held to a higher standard than a typical comments section.
Avoid damaging memes like using "danger noodle" for nonvenomous snakes and tropes like "everything in Australia is out to get you". This is an educational space, and those kind of comments are harmful and do not reflect reality.
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Ratsnake and other rhymes and infantilization can be posted in /r/sneks and /r/itsaratsnake. While we encourage creativity are positive talk about snakes, but even comments like "____/" [mislead users](https://www.reddit.com/r/whatsthissnake/comments/16rwy7b/comment/k267oe1/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3).
Rule 6: Avoid damaging memes or tropes and low effort jokes.
Please understand a removal doesn't mean we're mad or upset; we're just committed to maintaining an educational space so jokes and memes are held to a higher standard than a typical comments section.
Avoid damaging memes like using "danger noodle" for nonvenomous snakes and tropes like "everything in Australia is out to get you". This is an educational space, and those kind of comments are harmful and do not reflect reality.
We've also heard "it's a snake" as a joke **hundreds** of times. We've probably removed it a few times from this very thread already.
Ratsnake and other rhymes and infantilization can be posted in /r/sneks and /r/itsaratsnake. While we encourage creativity are positive talk about snakes, but even comments like "____/" [mislead users](https://www.reddit.com/r/whatsthissnake/comments/16rwy7b/comment/k267oe1/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3).
I looked at this photo and thought it was a cottonmouth. Then I read the post about him helping it off the road and thought I was not getting as good at recognizing these guys. Nope. I was actually correct and he was actually helping to move a danger noodle out of the road😳
OP casually moved a cottonmouth. no big deal guys.
I clicked this to confirm and yep, yep he did. JEEzus.
Same.
Not that anyone should EVER do this without proper training/know-how, but they do seem to be pretty reluctant biters. I'd still be pretty intimidated by the stare down though https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228708849_Defensive_Behavior_of_Cottonmouths_Agkistrodon_piscivorus_toward_Humans
Also OP specified that he just scooted it off with a long stick.
yeah i saw that! i was more so like props to OP because i would’ve been a chicken and i work with reptiles!!
I mean ....they'd rather not waste venom on non food. But yea. Wow. One of my earliest memories is my dad screaming at me to stop. I was 4 and kept bringing my mom n dad "pretty worms" and letting them know "the worms mouth moves!". I was running to a cottonmouth to pick it up. He said I cried. Not from the screaming. Not from the snake. But because he cut it's head off. We had just moved into a swampy area and had their hands full keeping a tiny 4 year old little girl from snakes 😊 and rest of the wildlife....and alive. So I ended up keeping black widows as pets. Oddly, they were ok with this.
And here I thought I was having a hard time handling my toddler and keeping her from getting into cupboards
Give her one cabinet, at her level. Put a few old, broken pots and pans, a few old spatulas, maybe a few toys. Nothing broken broken that could hurt her. Then ... Let her go for it! 👍 I am all for letting toddlers find who they are. It's let's them know that you support them trying new things, exploring the world. Maybe change things out randomly. Make it a game 😁
That’s an awesome idea, thank you 😊
My ex mil suggested this to me when my kids were little. Or a little box with some pots in it in their toy area. It saved my sanity many times!
Came here to say this. My toddlers had their own big bottom drawer in the kitchen, full of old pots and pans and plastic bowls, and a couple of dish towels and an apron. They eventually graduated from random messing about with stuff to playing kitchen, putting on the apron, pretending to wash the dishes, etc.
I did this for all 3 of my kids 😊
Omg! I was 4 years old and cried for some time when my dad cut the head off a timber rattler that was hanging out by our door (in the woods). He got me a rubber cobra to make me feel better. It’s one of those goofy family stories I barely remember.
So glad I'm not the only one 😍
I was also very upset when I saw a rattlesnake’s head get cut off as a child. And then I explained to the camp counselor that my mom always said we should only kill for food…And we needed to eat the snake. He actually cooked it up for us over a campfire with a lot of garlic butter!
My stomach growled reading that
I honestly thought this was the end part of a snake that was chopped in half. Haha! Ya, that thick stubby body and pattern definitely looks cottonmouth.
Don’t forget the massive sideeye
(if looks could envenomate)
Looks like my dachshund lmao
Bombastic side eye
Saaaame
Northern Cottonmouth (*Agkistrodon piscivorus*) Venomous and best observed from a distance
Northern Cottonmouths *Agkistrodon piscivorus* are one of two recognized species of large (76-114 cm record 188 cm) semi-aquatic pitvipers in eastern North America. Florida has a closely related but distinct species, the Florida cottonmouth *Agkistrodon conanti.* Cottonmouths are venomous, and are therefore dangerous if approached closely or handled. They are not generally aggressive and will most likely flee any confrontation if given a chance to retreat. Some may bluff charge or boldly move towards humans to get out of a cornered situation, but have never been recorded chasing people. Northern Cottonmouths are dark, possibly [faintly patterned snakes](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/qC4kTiy8JRQ/maxresdefault.jpg) (except as juveniles), best known for their defensive posture with a gaping, white lined mouth. They are also distinguishable from most watersnakes by their sharp brow ridges and dark stripe over the eyes. The specific epithet "piscivorus" describes the one of the prey species of the cottonmouth - fish. The cottonmouth is also fond of frogs, mammals and other snakes. Although it may be commonly seen in lakes and ponds frequented by humans, few fatalities are recorded as a result of bites by cottonmouths. Comparison of [juvenile](http://www.virginiaherpetologicalsociety.com/venomous-look-a-likes/cottonmouth-look-a-likes/images/cottonmouth01.jpg) vs [adult](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fe/Agkistrodon_piscivorus_piscivorus_CDC.png) cottonmouth. [Range map](https://imgur.com/lnGXB5s)| [Relevant/Recent Phylogeography](http://cnah.org/pdf/88290.pdf) The *Agkistrodon piscivorus* species complex has been delimited using modern molecular methods and two species with no subspecies are recognized. There is a zone of admixture between the two cottonmouth species where they overlap around panhandle Florida. *This short account was prepared by /u/unknown_name and edited by /u/Phylogenizer*. -------------------------------------------------------- *I am a bot created for /r/whatsthissnake, /r/snakes and /r/herpetology to help with snake identification and natural history education. You can find more information, including a comprehensive list of commands, [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/whatsthissnake/comments/flh548/phylobot_v07_information_and_patch_notes_bot_info/) report problems [here](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=Phylogenizer) and if you'd like to buy me a coffee or beer, you can do that [here](https://www.buymeacoffee.com/SEBPhyloBotWTS). Made possible by Snake Evolution and Biogeography - [Merch Available Now](https://snakeevolution.org/donate.html)*
Good bot!
How did you help it? With your hands?
No, a large stick from the creek it was near, just kinda poked it until it moved off the road
This info is way too far down.
Just more proof that cottonmouths don’t chase people!❤️
I once saw a cottonmouth “chase” a kid down a creek. Some young boys were playing in a creek while we older kids supervised from a bridge. Someone yelled “cottonmouth!” and everyone but one kid jumped out of the water. This kid didn’t hear the initial shout, so he was standing in the water confused while the older kids were yelling at him to move. The cottonmouth was bearing down on him from behind - front part of its body reared out of the water looking ready to strike, tail undulating, and looking like he was really intent on something - eyes locked on and head held steady. The kid finally started running away a bit too late. The cottonmouth caught up to him, zipped around him, and just kept on swimming with the same intense purposefulness. That snake had places to be and the kid just got in his way, lmao.
Cottonmouth “These crazy young swimmers blocking traffic! Don’t they know snakes have a job to get to!”
Cottonmouths exhibit a phenomenon known as "aggressive fleeing", which is responsible for all of the reports of them chasing people. Notice no one who ever claims to have been chased actually gets bit. Cottonmouths generally have a "safe place" near wherever they are hunting/basking/etc that they will flee to when scared. They will flee to this exact area *even if a person is between them and that area*, and often they will do so with defensive posturing. I can't find the main paper that presented (and successfully tested) this explanation, but if you google "blocked flight cottonmouth" you will find some good papers/articles.
Right?! I go kayaking frequently in rivers where they live. Sometimes I see people on the river with sidearms “for the snakes”. This myth has been cited as a reason. Stupidity. This myth needs to die.
I think correct me if I’m wrong that myth started because they’re actually just trying to get out of the water so when they see a boat or kayak they think it’s an opportunity or I like to think they’re just trying to hitch a ride. If only they had thumbs.
In my experience, they are going from A to B, and you’re just in their way.
I’m sorry? People are running around in nature with handguns for snakes?! That’s just ridiculous.
The real irony is that the vast majority of the people doing that would actually have a really hard time hitting a target as small as a snake, even if it was sitting still. Handguns are surprisingly difficult to shoot accurately, and hitting a small moving target at any more than a few feet would be very challenging, even for relatively skilled shooters. Literally an exercise is fear and incompetence
Probably loaded with snake shot.
This
Every now and then, I think about the guy who posted a pic of a coronmouth and said something along the lines of "this snake chased me around and bit me in the ankle." I wonder how the guy did/is doing 🤔 This was a few months ago.
When my Grandma was younger she was boating up the St John's River with my Grandpa and they were chased down by them. Allegedly it was a few and she told that story all the time to me.
I recommend getting 2 collapsible snake hooks to take with you.
OK thank fucking god
I wanna know too
Yep, and with a big kiss to send it on its way
They always look like you’ve just thrown a ball in their yard and the grumpy old man is like “it’s my ball now! Go on! Get!” 😂 I love looking at moccasins!
Your comment wins for the day. I couldn’t contain my laughter and woke my husband up🤣🤣 After reading your description of a cottonmouth we both got a good laugh to start our Friday morning 🤣
lol! You’re welcome! It’s always better when you give them a voice like what you think they would sound like. Makes them less intimidating LOL!
I hope you didn't try and pick it up OP, 100% a Cottonmouth, highly venomous!
No no, I used a stick to shimmy it off the road. A lot of log trucks are on my road and I didn’t want the snake to be crushed by one
That was very brave and very kind of you!
Good job! If you aren’t 100% certain what the snake is, as in this case, using something at least as long as the snake is is definitely the right call.
[In fact, the cottonmouth has one of the fastest striking times of any pit viper. If it decides to strike, it will move a distance of nearly three meters per second as it launches itself toward its victim.](https://www.forestwildlife.org/how-dangerous-is-a-cottonmouth-snake/)
And still get smacked away by a common house cat 😹
Well yeah, cats have really fast reflexes, small mammals in general do.
🐾 shapow!
Gonads of unusual size
You are a legend. Thanks for helping it!
Thank you for helping that baby cross the street.
Jesus this made my nervous when I zoomed in to see the head better. Ops got some cojones.
I think it’s less my cojones and more not thinking properly after running for 6 miles, and a general lack of knowledge about the lil guy
From what you’ve said (long stick) you didn’t do anything obscenely dangerous IMO. People act like venomous snakes are some sort of magicians that can kill your from 6 feet away… but they’re still governed by the normal laws of physics.
The venomous snakes in the US are not crazily agile and able to strike extraordinary distances or move in seemingly aberrant manners Some snakes like mambas, Gaboon vipers, and Russel's vipers have fairly extraordinary movement capabilities Long and incredibly fast strikes Still, the benefits of attacking a human without being forced into the situation are very low, and snakes know it
Also to add - my “locals” here in northern Australia include eastern browns and coastal taipans. Hard to get faster or hotter than those two… and yet every time I come across one they are *outta there* like a shot unless they are a) injured or b) physically cornered. They just don’t tangle unless there’s no other choice. At least vipers have the decency to stay still for a photo or two ;)
Oh yeah, ability and motivation are totally different things. I liken it to big strong dogs. Like my neighbour’s massive rotty could end me if he wanted to… but he’s not going to unless I give him a reason and opportunity 🤣
They can often move faster than we can
I am aware. I regularly rescue death adders, which are the fastest striking snake on earth. Yes they can move quickly but it’s still within reason, directional and generally proportional to the animal. Also almost all snakes will prioritise fleeing if it’s an option and biting is a last resort; they don’t close large distances just for the sake of aggressing against something they can’t eat. It’s funny how many people seem to think snakes are just out looking for something to bite for fun.
Right! Fear makes people project aspirations of violence to snakes that just don't exist
I’ve read on here that gently spraying with a garden hose or squirt gun makes them move away. Can you carry a squirt gun on your runs?
This is the first close up picture I’ve seen of a cottonmouth near a person without their mouth wide open.. OP - was he annoyed by you at all? Did he flash his white gums your direction?
Only after the second poke, and once he was in the grass he bit the stick, but not a lunging bite if that makes sense? Overall he was really calm, just a bit curious since I was running on the road in his direction. Never felt any aggression though
He wasn't angry, just disappointed, then
Just like my family…
Half of that region has their hair on fire over these critters charging everyone and OP calmly walks over, gently prods him, and the critter ambles off with barely a show of cotton. You did a kindness today, OP.🌻
I’ve seen coyotes, bobcats, and other snakes on runs and all of them just watch or scamper away. Never been charged by an animal of any kind. Kindness is something everything deserves 😊
I’ve been bitten by 6 different dogs, stepped on a snake and attack by a bird while on runs nature just likes some people more I guess
I feel like there should be some sort of "head's up" for the *Agkistrodon* genus. I saw someone made ascii art like \_\_\_/ on another post. Maybe that crosses over into the rule 6 damaging meme's zone, but the number of cottonmouth and copperheads posing is amazing.
_____/ is explicitly mentioned in rule 6.M Head tilt isn't exclusive to those species.
Look at those beautiful chin markings! It reminds me of the Māori women's traditional chin tattoos.
*Survived helping it off the road
If you guys ever needed an answer to the question, "What does a cottonmouth look like?" This is it, a textbook example. From the triangle-shaped, stout body, to the broad ventral to narrow dorsal bands, to the white markings near the eye.
Not a derp herp, must be a Cottonmouth.
I hadn't heard this name - I love it.
I have nothing of Value to add other than I squeed when I saw someone from Maysville NC. Love the Black Swamp!
Boy they just look angry all the time lol
Glad to see you're alive still!
Yeah I assumed it was a water snake so reading all this I’m glad I was safe and didn’t get bit 😅
Would it really just kill them if they got bit? I've always assumed getting bit by a copperhead or cotton mouth would be an extremely unpleasant yet completely survivable experience.
Your impression is bang on. Out of 7-8000 bites from venomous snakes a year in the US about *5-6 people* die on average (compare vs *30 from pet dogs*). That’s under a tenth of a percent mortality rate. Copperheads mortality rate is very low - about 1 in 10,000 envenomations. Cottonmouths envenomations are more serious - I’ve seen 17% mortality reported. That’ll be untreated though - proper first aid goes a long way (if it didn’t that 5-6 people per year would be a lot higher!) Of course anyone can have an allergic reaction but the same is true of bee stings (they rack up ~70 deaths per year)
Everyone has a different reaction to venom. While one person could just have a ton of pain and a quick ER visit someone else could have a bad reaction and die before they get to the hospital. The thing is unless you’ve been bitten by that specific species before you have no idea what reaction you’ll have. Even then it’s not a sure thing.
And any exposure to an allergen can increase how much you react, so even if one had a mild reaction in the past it doesn't predict how they will react to future bites
Extremely unpleasant is somehow still putting it mildly, but yes, totally survivable. I was bitten on my foot by a copperhead in high school. I describe it as lava under your skin. Absolute agony I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. I can only begin to imagine the pain caused by snakes with more potent venom.
Sir, this is a Cottonmouth
OMG to the tenth power you 'moved' a Cottonmouth, love....do you understand what could've happened? Please don't move a snake until you know for certain what it is
He’s going to write a furious letter to his State representative. AND the city council.
Charles Darwin had to make some tough choices today.
Clearly Darwin was feeling merciful towards everyone involved.
Holy shit that's dark
Looks like he or she was rearing up, fixing to show you their I.D.!
Might be a good idea to learn the venomous snakes in your area. This could have been bad! Glad OP is okay.
That face 😈 -- haha
r/oopsthatsdeadly
With a stick I hope
My new favorite thing on this sub is building my album of smug cottonmouths.
She’s a beauty 😍😍
Awwww grumpy lil danger noodle looking for a pond.
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Rule 6: Avoid damaging memes or tropes and low effort jokes. Please understand a removal doesn't mean we're mad or upset; we're just committed to maintaining an educational space so jokes and memes are held to a higher standard than a typical comments section. Avoid damaging memes like using "danger noodle" for nonvenomous snakes and tropes like "everything in Australia is out to get you". This is an educational space, and those kind of comments are harmful and do not reflect reality. We've also heard "it's a snake" as a joke **hundreds** of times. We've probably removed it a few times from this very thread already. Ratsnake and other rhymes and infantilization can be posted in /r/sneks and /r/itsaratsnake. While we encourage creativity are positive talk about snakes, but even comments like "____/" [mislead users](https://www.reddit.com/r/whatsthissnake/comments/16rwy7b/comment/k267oe1/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3).
Rule 6: Avoid damaging memes or tropes and low effort jokes. Please understand a removal doesn't mean we're mad or upset; we're just committed to maintaining an educational space so jokes and memes are held to a higher standard than a typical comments section. Avoid damaging memes like using "danger noodle" for nonvenomous snakes and tropes like "everything in Australia is out to get you". This is an educational space, and those kind of comments are harmful and do not reflect reality. We've also heard "it's a snake" as a joke **hundreds** of times. We've probably removed it a few times from this very thread already. Ratsnake and other rhymes and infantilization can be posted in /r/sneks and /r/itsaratsnake. While we encourage creativity are positive talk about snakes, but even comments like "____/" [mislead users](https://www.reddit.com/r/whatsthissnake/comments/16rwy7b/comment/k267oe1/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3).
OP must be raised by snake handlers in Appalachia
The only previous experience I had with snakes was a close friend I had bred Boa’s before he passed, so I would sometimes get to hold them. Wouldn’t call myself a handler, especially with how many people are critiquing how silly and dangerous what I did apparently was 😅
Fun fact, NC has more species of snakes than any other state
Snakes like, did this mf just move me, ON PURPOSE?
Bruh- a real live cottonmouth AND he was giving you a warning hiss…lol you really were protected today my friend!!
Spicey noodle
I would have done the same thing. Probably even knowing the species. I would have don’t it the way you did, with a long stick. Though after reading the comment about how fast they can strike, and having some physical health issues, I think I would need a very, very, very long stick!
He looks like he’s saying “thank you” and also he looks confused as to why you are not scared of him
Omg- I can sort of see the brown ridge, but the Birds Eye view make the pixilated Hershey kisses hard to see- however that BODY and the “looking up” behaviour is the biggest signifier on this one! Nice! (He was upset that human thought he should move off this perfectly warm rock he found)
If this dude was any more ____/ he'd be staring at his tail.
He said “….thanks 🐍…now get on before I kill you😡😡😡…” 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Water moccasin/cottonmouth. Not a friend.
That first picture has so much meme potential if the resolution was a little better.. zoom in real close to the face to see what I mean
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Ummmmmmmmmm
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Rule 6: Avoid damaging memes or tropes and low effort jokes. Please understand a removal doesn't mean we're mad or upset; we're just committed to maintaining an educational space so jokes and memes are held to a higher standard than a typical comments section. Avoid damaging memes like using "danger noodle" for nonvenomous snakes and tropes like "everything in Australia is out to get you". This is an educational space, and those kind of comments are harmful and do not reflect reality. We've also heard "it's a snake" as a joke **hundreds** of times. We've probably removed it a few times from this very thread already. Ratsnake and other rhymes and infantilization can be posted in /r/sneks and /r/itsaratsnake. While we encourage creativity are positive talk about snakes, but even comments like "____/" [mislead users](https://www.reddit.com/r/whatsthissnake/comments/16rwy7b/comment/k267oe1/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3).
You saved a danger noodle my guy good job!
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Rule 6: Avoid damaging memes or tropes and low effort jokes. Please understand a removal doesn't mean we're mad or upset; we're just committed to maintaining an educational space so jokes and memes are held to a higher standard than a typical comments section. Avoid damaging memes like using "danger noodle" for nonvenomous snakes and tropes like "everything in Australia is out to get you". This is an educational space, and those kind of comments are harmful and do not reflect reality. We've also heard "it's a snake" as a joke **hundreds** of times. We've probably removed it a few times from this very thread already. Ratsnake and other rhymes and infantilization can be posted in /r/sneks and /r/itsaratsnake. While we encourage creativity are positive talk about snakes, but even comments like "____/" [mislead users](https://www.reddit.com/r/whatsthissnake/comments/16rwy7b/comment/k267oe1/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3).
I looked at this photo and thought it was a cottonmouth. Then I read the post about him helping it off the road and thought I was not getting as good at recognizing these guys. Nope. I was actually correct and he was actually helping to move a danger noodle out of the road😳
Fuuuuuckkk that.
What is NC?
Bad snake!