# Identification of dangerous reptiles



## Joni

after seeing a picture of someone holding a western cottonmouth in a bare hand just hangin out on there arm for a picture. I saw this here on the forum too... OMG! :O my jaw dropped and thought they are lucky to be alive because a cottonmouth has enough venom to kill several humans. most of us won't be close enough to a hospital to live to get anti venom. i thought it might be a good idea to post some info here because many of us are out in the woods camping. snakes are in cities too looking for food as we encroach on their habitat. Some may end up in abandoned building as a replacement for a cave/hollow. well just as a human may seek shelter so do other animals even if its been abandoned for a short time.

From:
http://www.fieldherpforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=14602
For venomous snakes, we only have a few cool ones, and cottonmouths and copperheads don't count. I've seen well over 200 of each this year (in southern usa), and I don't know if I care to see any in 2013.

Copperheads are common around my neighborhood and the surrounding ones at night. A quick 30minute roadcruise easily yields five or more on most days, though it petered off after October.
My favorite picture of one:






Agkistrodon contortrix contortrix (Southern Copperhead) by Kyle L.E., on Flickr
And a baby:






Agkistrodon contortrix contortrix (Southern Copperhead) by Kyle L.E., on Flickr
And some skin I tried (and failed) to tan from a DOR:






Agkistrodon contortrix contortrix (Southern Copperhead) by Kyle L.E., on Flickr

Cottonmouths are very common as well, and one area I cruise west of Houston has them in large enough numbers that it's often in best interest of time to just stay in the car and drive around them.
Here's one from East Texas that was particularly cooperative in mouth gaping:




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Agkistrodon piscivorous leucostoma (Western Cottonmouth) by Kyle L.E., on Flickr

And one I thought looked pretty cool after I plopped him up on the log for a photo:




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Agkistrodon piscivorous leucostoma (Western Cottonmouth) by Kyle L.E., on Flickr

More interesting are the rattlesnakes. Timbers in East Texas aren't like most other parts of the country. It's a lot of work to find them, and more to find them alive. They don't really den up, so it's not really practical to go and observe them where they den and rook like in cooler areas to the east. I have been successful in finding a source population, and have found, on a couple of the same roads, 16 of them. Unfortunately, only two were alive, and one of those was hit twice and about to be run over for a third time by a very ignorant lady before I stopped her. They're my favorite snake out here, and I hope to have more positive encounters this coming year.

My lifer was quite the large snake:




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Crotalus horridus (Timber Rattlesnake) by Kyle L.E., on Flickr




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Crotalus horridus (Timber Rattlesnake) by Kyle L.E., on Flickr

Fortunately for the crote-hungry folks, Western-diamondbacks are very common on the coast south of Houston. I got my lifer when they were mating at the beginning of November. Multiple times I flipped mating pairs, which was really cool to see. Here's a few of my favorite shots:

Habitat:




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Abandoned House by Kyle L.E., on Flickr




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Coastal Tin Site by Kyle L.E., on Flickr

And the snakes:




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Crotalus atrox (Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnake) by Kyle L.E., on Flickr




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Crotalus atrox (Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnake) by Kyle L.E., on Flickr




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Crotalus atrox (Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnake) by Kyle L.E., on Flickr




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Crotalus atrox (Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnake) by Kyle L.E., on Flickr

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in the great lakes reigon:
"Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake" is endangered last i heard. just as deadly as the other vipers but pint sized.

https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-10370_12145_12201-32995--,00.html

The massasauga can be characterized as a shy, sluggish snake. Its thick body is colored with a pattern of dark brown slightly rectangular patches set against a light gray-to-brown background. Occasionally, this coloration can be so dark as to appear almost black. The belly is mostly black. It is the only Michigan snake with segmented rattles on the end of its tail and elliptical, ("cat like") vertical pupils in the eyes. The neck is narrow, contrasting with the wide head and body and the head appears triangular in shape. Adult length is 2 to 3 feet.




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http://www.trailquest.net/SNpoi.html
Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake - Commonly found in the SE U.S. in lower coastal plains; SE North Carolina to Florida Keys, W to S Mississippi and E Louisiana. Attains a maximum length of 96", which makes it our largest rattlesnake. Has a reputation for being the most dangerous snake in North America. Found from sea level to 500'.
see above picture

Timber Rattlesnake - Commonly found in most of the eastern US, except the extreme northern regions. Attains a maximum length of about 75". Prefers remote wooded hillsides with rock outcrops, swampy areas and floodplains. Found from sea level to 6,600'.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b0/Timber_Rattlesnake.jpg
see above picture

Mojave Rattlesnake - Commonly found in southeastern US; S Nevada, S California and SW Utah. Attains maximum length of about 51". Prefers upland desert flatland supporting mesquite, creosote bush and cacti; also arid lowland with sparse vegetation, grassy plains, Joshua tree forests, and rock hills. Found from sea level to 8,300'.

Western Diamondback Rattlesnake - Commonly found in the southwestern US, from SE California eastward to central Arkansas. Attains a maximum length of about 84". Prefers arid and semiarid areas; brush desert, rocky canyons, bluffs along rivers and rocky foothills. Found from sea level to 7,000'.

Speckled Rattlesnake - Commonly found in the desert areas of the southwestern U.S. Attains maximum length of about 52". Prefers rugged rocky terrain, rock outcrops, deep canyons, talus and chapparal amid rock piles and boulders. Can be found from sea level to 8,000'. Active during the day in spring and fall, at night in summer.

Pygmy Rattlesnake - Usually 15 - 31" long and ranges from eastern North Carolina to the Florida Keys west to eastern Oklahoma and east Texas. It prefers mixed pine-hardwood forest, sandhills, marshes and the areas near ponds.

Massasauga - This rattlesnake is usually 18 - 39" long. Unlike other rattlers, it has 9 enlarged scales on top of its head. It ranges from northwest Pennsylvania west to eastern Iowa and southwest into Texas. Its habitat ranges from dry woodlands to rocky hillsides to bogs and swamps.

Sidewinder - Commonly found in the desert areas of the southwestern U.S. Attains maximum length of about 33". Prefers arid desert flatland with sandy washes or mesquite-crowned sand hammocks. Can be found from below sea level to 5,000'. Travels over shifting surfaces by "sidewinding", a process by which the snake makes use of static friction to keep from slipping when crossing soft sandy areas. It leaves a trail of parallel J-shaped markings behind it. Primarily nocturnal, it is usually encountered crossing roads (and trails) between sundown and midnight in spring. During the day, it occupies mammal burrows or hides beneath bushes.

Black-tailed Rattlesnake - Usually 28 â€“ 49 inches in length. Likes rocky mountainous areas; among rimrock and limestone outcrops, wooded stony canyons, chaparral, rocky streambeds; found near sea level to about 9,000'. Ranges from Arizona east to central Texas, south through central Mexico.

Tiger Rattlesnake - Usually 20 â€“ 36 inches long. Prefers arid rocky foothills and canyons, primarily in ocotilla-mesquite-creosote bush and saguaro-paloverde associations; sea level to 4,800'. Ranges from Central Arizona south to S Sonora, Mexico.

Cottonmouth - Commonly found in most parts of SE U.S. and in S Missouri to south-central Oklahoma and central Texas. Attains maximum length of about 75". A very dangerous and aggressive snake. Prefers lowland swamps, lakes, rivers, bayheads, sloughs, irrigation ditches and small clear rocky streams. Found from sea level to 1,500'.
see above pictures

Copperhead - The Eastern Copperhead is commonly found in the southeastern U.S. and also in E Texas and E Oklahoma. The Northern Copperhead is found from SW Massachusetts to SW Illinois, south to NE Mississippi, N Alabama, N and central Georgia and piedmont of South Carolina. Attains maximum length of 53". Prefers wooded hillsides with rock outcrops above streams or ponds; edges of swamps. Found from sea level to 5,000'.
see above picture

Most of the rattle snakes have a similar pattern and am not going every sub species here. rule of thumb with vipers is if is head has a diamond like shape and is wider than its body its most likely has the power to kill you. They also have tiny pits in there nose as heat sensors so to speak. a majorty of them have a feisty attitude and are best given a wide path as they can strike with their whole body length which can many feet. deadly range is within half there body range for sure! SO if a adult are 24-55 inches in length were to strike you want to be at least 2 ft away. Babies are cute but are the most dangerous because the shoot all their venom all at once where the adults have learned to vary the dose.
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Western Coral Snake - Prefers rocky areas, plains to lower mountain slopes; rocky upland desert in arroyos and river bottoms. Found from sea level to 5,900'. Habitat ranges from central Arizona to sw New Mexico south to Mexico. _Do not confuse this poisonous snake with other species that are harmless, such as the Milk Snake_. The Coral snake has red and yellow bands that are adjacent, the non venomous species have red and black bands that are adjacent. Remember the jingle, "Red and yellow kill a fellow, but red and black is a friend of Jack".





Eastern Coral Snake - This beautiful snake is commonly found from SE North Carolina to S Florida (and the Florida Keys) west to S Texas. Attains a maximum length of about 48". Prefers moist, densely vegetated hammocks near ponds or streams in hardwood forests; pine flatwoods; rocky hillsides and canyons.







Generally less than 80 cm (31 in) in length, its maximum reported length of 48.0 in was for a specimen inFlorida (Niell, 1958) and 51.0 in (Roze, 1996). Males have longer tails than females, but females reach a greater total length.
The dorsal scales are smooth in 15 rows. The ventral scales number 197-217 in males and 219-233 in females. There are 40-47 subcaudals in males and 30-37 in females. The anal plate is divided.
The color pattern consists of a series of rings that encircle the body: wide red and black rings separated by narrow yellow rings. The head is black from the rostral to just behind the eyes. The red rings are usually speckled with black.[2] People who live in its natural range are often taught a folk rhyme as children: "Red touches black, friend of Jack, red touches yellow, kill a fellow." The rhyme is useful in teaching children to distinguish king snakes (_Lampropeltis_ ssp.), which are considered helpful predators of vermin such as rats and mice, from this much more dangerous snake that should only be handled by an experienced biologist or herpetologist. However, this rhyme is only applicable to the North American species, and cannot be used reliably in the Caribbean, or Central or South America.

Texas Coral Snake - Usually 22 â€“ 47 inches long. Prefers ponds or streams in hardwood forests; pine flatwoods; rocky hillsides and canyons. Ranges from Southern Arkansas, W Louisiana, S Texas into NE Mexico. Like other species of Coral snake, the red and yellow bands are adjacent. For the non-poisonous look-alikes, the red and black bands are adjacent.




http://www.backyardnature.net/q/coral.htm

there are alot of look alikes so be careful as many think oh thats a such and such. then have mistaken identity and get themselves hurt or killed. this happened to my neigbor as a kid he thought it was a garter snake >.> nope.... it was a michigan rattler and i told him so after i heard it rattle. he proceeded to take it home to show mom and got bit the next day on the hand. a hospital trip ensued he told me... and blah blah blah. so i learned at an early age from other people best policy i have had is look don't touch any snake. Learn to identify the _REALLY_ dangerous ones.

Like many snakes, the first human reaction may be to kill the snake. But it is important to remember that all snakes play an important role in the ecosystem. Some may eat insects, others like the rattlesnake consider rodents a delicacy and help control their population. Snakes are also a part of a larger food web and can provide food to eagles, herons, and several mammals.

We can easily learn to live with these creatures. When you encounter a snake, leave it alone. In most cases, the snake will move to different areas. If pets are in the area, it is important to confine them until the snake moves on. Most often snakes do not wander into areas with little vegetation. The most likely period to encounter snakes in the open is early spring or mornings when they can be found sunning themselves.

Do not mistake that they are active only by the day. many snakes have been known to hunt by night (esp. copperheads/rattle snakes) after they have accumulated enough heat to move throughout the evening because they are a temp based creature. Which its is wise to keep your head on swivel at night to see what is going on. Please chime in with other snakes of concern from your local area. hopefully with description and picture. This way we all know what to look for.

Also as a special note of interest is that there are some exotic venimous snakes out there for various reasons. but IMO it would be a good idea to brush up on those species if you are going down south espally to southern florida where there have been mambas and cobras spotted in the wild. one man was bitten by a mamba in 2011. there are other venomous snakes that were found because of florida's exotic pet trade.

various links about this;
around 40:00 explains alot in this monster quest episode 
http://www.animalrightsflorida.org/incidentlist.html
http://voices.yahoo.com/exotic-pets-getting-wilder-florida-everglades-5981774.html

I hope this helps...
-joni


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## Tude

I've only run into timber rattlers in PA a few times. And of course the first time I had to poke it to hear the rattle. It was on a log and it rattled for a bit till I poked it one too many times and it took off into tall thick grass. EEEEKKK!! That thing was fast!! And I couldn't see where it went! Took off running like hell. 

We have black racers in the NE too - big snakes, not poisonous but they have a nice bite - got hit by one as a kid. Why? Cause I was poking that snake too. Can't poke snakes anymore.


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## Dmac

in north america if a snake has cat-like pupils (vertical slits) it is poisonous. the only exception is the coral snake, which has round pupils.


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## treyvor

Super informative. Living in seattle i haven't seen any venomous reptiles in the wild. But ill probably seek them out in my travels this summer. 
Im thinking about getting a venomous snake as a pet someday in the distant future.


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## Joni

treyvor said:


> Super informative. Living in seattle i haven't seen any venomous reptiles in the wild. But ill probably seek them out in my travels this summer.
> Im thinking about getting a venomous snake as a pet someday in the distant future.


Owning a snake like that means your going to get bit just a question of when. I don't know if i would keep a wild dangerous animal like that. contrary to most peoples belief snakes are not tamable they stay wild to some extent. they end up as tolerant of your presence over time after they recognize your not a threat.

hmmm..... not sure what to put here...
-Joni


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