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It's that time of the year...


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I found a snake while out today. I hate snakes. Really hate them. I am traumatized and I can't stop telling everyone. Every time I tell the story the snake gets bigger.

 

But in all seriousness, it was HUGE. It scared me so bad I ran. Then I thought, "That's the biggest snake I've seen "in the wild" (read, not at the zoo). So I decided to suck it up (my fear) and go back to take a picture. So to give you an idea of how big it was, I ran, stopped, thought about taking a picture, decided I should, went back, took my camera out, powered it up and STILL managed to get part of the snake. It apparently had the same reaction to me that I had to it...which was to retreat. But still. I do think it was a good 4 feet long (at least).

 

Anyway, let this also serve as a reminder to everyone to keep their eyes peeled for the creatures of spring that are starting to come out.

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/log.aspx?LU...44-bcf3fed65b5e

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like the snorkeling instructor said about seeing sharks in area, consider yourself privileged on your snake sighting. Now the good news, it probaly was not a poisonous snake. There are four kinds of poisonous snakes in North America( rattlers, coral, cottonmouths, and copperheads). Of these, two are native to Maryland(copperhead and rattlers). I believe copperheads are more brown than black, while the timber rattlesnake which is primarily in the appalachian mountain tends to have more color than just black.

 

Most snakes, if they aren't poisonous, are constrictors. However no north american constrictor can kill an adult human. That said, unless you can positively identify a snake, it is best to keep your distance and admire this beautiful animal from a distance

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like the snorkeling instructor said about seeing sharks in area, consider yourself privileged on your snake sighting. Now the good news, it probaly was not a poisonous snake. There are four kinds of poisonous snakes in North America( rattlers, coral, cottonmouths, and copperheads). Of these, two are native to Maryland(copperhead and rattlers). I believe copperheads are more brown than black, while the timber rattlesnake which is primarily in the appalachian mountain tends to have more color than just black.

 

Most snakes, if they aren't poisonous, are constrictors. However no north american constrictor can kill an adult human. That said, unless you can positively identify a snake, it is best to keep your distance and admire this beautiful animal from a distance

 

Thank you for the information. I actually know it was a black snake...perfectly harmless. But I don't care. They give me the heebie jeebies and I just plain do not like them.

 

Thinking about it makes me shiver. Ick.

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As someone who has tried to catch snakes for research projects while in grad school, I can say that most of the time once the snake sees you, it will do all it can do to get away from you. Snakes aren't bad, but you should respect them. Hopefully next time you can get a picture of the whole snake so we can see what it really is.

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Heh. When I worked in Rockville, Security paged my plate. I got downstairs and they told me that someone watched a black snake slither underneath my car and disappear.

 

Popped open the hood and found it wrapped around the front axle. I'd gotten to work a little before that, so my engine was still warm.

 

Much poking and prodding by the people with me resulted in the snake unwiding and trying to slither off. Someone got its head pinned between a couple of sticks and carted it off to the pond behind the building.

 

I don't like snakes either. Not exactly what I wanted hitchhiking home that night. [Although it probably would have left before I did.]

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I found a snake while out today. I hate snakes. Really hate them. I am traumatized and I can't stop telling everyone. Every time I tell the story the snake gets bigger.

 

But in all seriousness, it was HUGE. It scared me so bad I ran. Then I thought, "That's the biggest snake I've seen "in the wild" (read, not at the zoo). So I decided to suck it up (my fear) and go back to take a picture. So to give you an idea of how big it was, I ran, stopped, thought about taking a picture, decided I should, went back, took my camera out, powered it up and STILL managed to get part of the snake. It apparently had the same reaction to me that I had to it...which was to retreat. But still. I do think it was a good 4 feet long (at least).

 

Anyway, let this also serve as a reminder to everyone to keep their eyes peeled for the creatures of spring that are starting to come out...

 

Thanks for the reminder to keep my eyes peeled for snakes, because I love them, and I smile every time I see one. They are a precious gift from God. We live in the mountain wilderness of Western Maryalnd, and we have a lot of snakes here, both non-venemous and venemous; in fact, we have a female copperhead who is very peaceful and tame who lives under one of our stone steps. Unfortunately, she is so private and retiring that I only see her a few times each year.

 

About a year ago, one of our mommy ducks who was sitting on eggs started squawking and told us that she wes being bothered, and asked us to please help her. Sue and I went out the the poultry pen, and, sure enuf, a 5 foot male blacksnake (a black rat snake, as I recall, not a black racer) was trying to edge mommy duck aside so that she could eat one of her eggs. I quickly picked up the snake and explained to him that Miss Manners says that it is impolite to bother mommy ducks when they are sitting broody on eggs, and even more impolite to eat their eggs when they are doing so. The snake got the message and agreed to change his errant ways, and he and I then sat down together on a rock wall inside the poultry pen (our birds are free-range) to commune while he was wrapped around my neck, shoulders and arms. In fact, I just managed to find a photo that Sue had snapped of me sitting with the snake; here it is below:

 

60af6b29-0ee1-47b6-9e07-d08dea4a002b.jpg

 

I am sure that I have more snake pics around here, if you wish to see more!

 

:laughing:

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Is this the snake you saw?

 

PICT0002.JPG

Great foto, and great snake, thanks! If you ever have an extra one, feel free to ship it to me via Fedex Overnite! On the other hand, a Western Diamondback rattler would not thrive well at all on being transplanted to the damp dark forests of Maryland, so I guess we better let her stay (looks like a female to me, from the photo) where she is! Thanks again for the great foto!

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like the snorkeling instructor said about seeing sharks in area, consider yourself privileged on your snake sighting. Now the good news, it probaly was not a poisonous snake. There are four kinds of poisonous snakes in North America( rattlers, coral, cottonmouths, and copperheads). Of these, two are native to Maryland(copperhead and rattlers). I believe copperheads are more brown than black, while the timber rattlesnake which is primarily in the appalachian mountain tends to have more color than just black.

 

Most snakes, if they aren't poisonous, are constrictors. However no north american constrictor can kill an adult human. That said, unless you can positively identify a snake, it is best to keep your distance and admire this beautiful animal from a distance

 

Snake myths are everywhere - only some snakes are constrictors and Florida has a growning population of Bermise Pythons not native but none the less they are here. Some found at 17 feet. Anyone can learn the Easterm copperhead - he is easy and coloring is very consistant. Google him. He is hard to see in the leaves but easy to Identify. No need to kill any of them. We are in there home when we cache hunt. Let them be!

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