Copperhead Bite Me !!!

[The Chairman]

It says any snake when frightened can flatten its head to look triangular

These 3 were not frightened at all. That's why I let them swim peacefully behind the Scouts. This would be my second encounter with copperheads. The first was on a trail in North Florida, in O'Leno State Park, close to the Santa Fe River in the early 70s. It escaped into the brush. I won't ever forget either encounter, I had to look up the snake back then, way before the internet. I love Florida outdoors since I was a kid.

 

[RyanT]

@Trilobite, whoops, I missed the part about western VA.

@The Chairman, no need to be snarky. I appreciate that you can tell the difference, most people can't, particularly for juveniles. As I said, copperheads don't "commonly swim in open water." So cool observation you made.

 

[The Chairman]

@The Chairman, no need to be snarky.

Where's the fun in that??? I've been second-guessed before and try to respond with a bit of humor. So sorry if that offended you. My son and I were at an ecological camp in Central Florida. They were using a fine meshed net by the waterfront to see what lived among the reeds by the shore. Cool. All of a sudden, one of the employees yelled "moccasin" and declared this tiny dock off limits. I had to look. She really freaked out when I reached down and snagged one of the baby banded water snakes. They are the most aggressive and bitey snakes I have ever encountered, and this six-inch monster bit me right off. I though she was going to faint. I showed her the smooth head, and explained why it couldn't be a moccasin. She was still freaked. The kids really loved it.

Later, the head of the camp tried to castigate me for picking up the snake, suggesting that I really didn't know if it was 'poisonous' or not. I showed him the bite, and that it did not contain fang marks, and also made sure he understood the difference between venomous and poisonous. I then suggested that they should really learn how to identify all of the snakes, and not assume that every one of them is dangerous. In fact, unless you do something stupid, like pick them up, even if you encounter one, they will leave you alone.

 

[kinoons]

Where's the fun in that??? I've been second-guessed before and try to respond with a bit of humor. So sorry if that offended you. My son and I were at an ecological camp in Central Florida. They were using a fine meshed net by the waterfront to see what lived among the reeds by the shore. Cool. All of a sudden, one of the employees yelled "moccasin" and declared this tiny dock off limits. I had to look. She really freaked out when I reached down and snagged one of the baby banded water snakes. They are the most aggressive and bitey snakes I have ever encountered, and this six-inch monster bit me right off. I though she was going to faint. I showed her the smooth head, and explained why it couldn't be a moccasin. She was still freaked. The kids really loved it.

Later, the head of the camp tried to castigate me for picking up the snake, suggesting that I really didn't know if it was 'poisonous' or not. I showed him the bite, and that it did not contain fang marks, and also made sure he understood the difference between venomous and poisonous. I then suggested that they should really learn how to identify all of the snakes, and not assume that every one of them is dangerous. In fact, unless you do something stupid, like pick them up, even if you encounter one, they will leave you alone.

Without going greatly into specifics, I had the opportunity to educate one my fellow ER physicians on how there is no such thing as a non-venomous snake with fangs…

Fortunately the patient was okay, but that was more through dumb luck than my ER getting that one right.

 

[RyanT]

She really freaked out when I reached down and snagged one of the baby banded water snakes. They are the most aggressive and bitey snakes I have ever encountered, and this six-inch monster bit me right off. I though she was going to faint.

That is a funny story! Yeah water snakes are bitey suckers.

 

[undrwater]

I think we may be misunderstanding the OP; and it's understandable considering the missing comma.

Copperhead, bite me!

 

[Eastwest]

Hey guys and gals, why are you hijacking my thread ? You know my $ 100 dollar contribution gives me a little rights around this camp . There is scientific data pertaining to copperhead range in the Florida Peninsula which include actual bites and road kill that has been verified . The verified range has been as far south as latitude 28 32 18 which brings me to the fact the 450 mile stated out of range of a copperhead snake from another poster is not correct . Be good , safe and kind Rumdumb

 

[agilis]

Hey guys and gals, why are you hijacking my thread ? You know my $ 100 dollar contribution gives me a little rights around this camp . There is scientific data pertaining to copperhead range in the Florida Peninsula which include actual bites and road kill that has been verified . The verified range has been as far south as latitude 28 32 18 which brings me to the fact the 450 mile stated out of range of a copperhead snake from another poster is not correct . Be good , safe and kind Rumdumb

What made you think it was a Copperhead in the first place? There are none in central Florida, latitude distribution notwithstanding.

 

[boulderjohn]

Hey guys and gals, why are you hijacking my thread ? You know my $ 100 dollar contribution gives me a little rights around this camp . There is scientific data pertaining to copperhead range in the Florida Peninsula which include actual bites and road kill that has been verified . The verified range has been as far south as latitude 28 32 18 which brings me to the fact the 450 mile stated out of range of a copperhead snake from another poster is not correct . Be good , safe and kind Rumdumb

Since what you write here contradicts all the other expert information provided in this thread, it would be great if you could supply a link to the scientific data you accessed before making this post. We could all benefit from being corrected.

 

[boulderjohn]

Hey guys and gals, why are you hijacking my thread ? You know my $ 100 dollar contribution gives me a little rights around this camp . There is scientific data pertaining to copperhead range in the Florida Peninsula which include actual bites and road kill that has been verified . The verified range has been as far south as latitude 28 32 18 which brings me to the fact the 450 mile stated out of range of a copperhead snake from another poster is not correct . Be good , safe and kind Rumdumb

In my previous post, I suggested you supply links to support your claim that copperheads are found as far south as Port St. Lucie. I am always trying to be helpful, so I scouted out sites describing the range of copperheads in Florida to save you some time. Here are the ones I checked. They do not include the one included earlier in the thread that said they are only in part of the panhandle.

You can skip all of these in your search, because they all agree that copperheads are only found in the far northern panhandle.

Eastern Copperhead

VENOMOUS Other common names Copperhead, Southern Copperhead, Highland Moccasin, Chunk Head Basic description The average adult Eastern Copperhead is 22-36 inches long (56-91 cm) in total length. This snake is stout-bodied with a distinctive hourglass pattern of broad light brown and dark brown c

www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu

Southern (Eastern) Copperhead | Florida Backyard Snakes

Species Profile: Copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix) | SREL Herpetology

https://www.egovlink.com/public_documents300/winterhaven/published_documents/Winter%20Haven/Lakes/Backyard%20Wildlife/Animal%20Information/Snakes/Recognizing%20Fl%20Venomous%20Snakes%20UW22900.pdf

Southern Copperhead Snake in Florida

Southern Copperhead Snake- Learn about Florida's deadly Copperhead snake, the Southern Copperhead.

www.floridiannature.com

Copperhead Records of Northwest Florida

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Copperhead vs Cottonmouth Snake Photos, Difference in Venom

Information and Photographs Copperhead vs Cottonmouth Snake, Difference in Venom

www.247wildlife.com