Here’s another creepy tail of adventure for Halloween month.
I had completed my morning gardening chores, made my mail run, had lunch, gotten the riding mower out and was starting my mowing when I spotted a snake crawling out of a hole in the underpinning (skirting) of my workshop – a mobile home that was on the property when we bought it and served as our home until we were able to build a house. It looked a lot like a copperhead. Or at least what I remembered a copperhead to look like. But before I went into snake eradication mode I decided to do some fact checking: sometimes good snakes have coloring very similar to the bad snakes, and I don’t want to kill a King Snake because I mistook it for a viper.
Here is the snake from under the trailer:
And here is a picture of a copperhead from a snake eradication services web site:
Yep, I’d say that was a match.
So I got a couple of sturdy sticks and killed it. I know I shouldn’t – I should just relocate it to the forest, but I don’t have a snake stick made up, I’m not about to try to capture it in a box, and I know better than to try to encourage it to simply go elsewhere on it’s own. If I left it alone it might just go away – or it might go back under my workshop. Don’t like that thought, so I killed it. Or at least I crushed its head. Even after I’ve completed the mowing and trimming with the push mower I came back by and saw that the body is still writhing about. I’ll go get a shovel and behead it, but it’s probably just autonomic – like a headless chicken running around for a bit.
Now the next logical thought is the question of whether that was a lone snake passing through or if there is a whole nest of those things under the shop. I’m not going down there to find out. But we should be extra careful in the yard, especially around the lumber piles.
When I converted the trailer from home to workshop and removed the kitchen and master bathroom cabinetry I found snake skins in the enclosed spaces under the cabinets. I suspect they crawled up around the drain pipes seeking a warm spot to winter and eat any mice that had been nesting there. With those cabinets removed, mice and snakes would have ready access to the interior of the shop. It think I’ll get some Great Stuff foam sealant to shoot in those gaps around the standing pipes and seal them off.
I don’t think snakes will be tempted to come inside here until fall, but I admit I just caught myself peeking under the desk before rolling my chair up to it.
Copperhead Facts
As long as we’re on the subject, let’s cover some facts and fiction, about this snake.
Fiction first:
- Rarely do copperheads hunt in pairs. If you encounter one, there is no need to go berserk worrying about where the other one is.
- Copperheads do not breed with black snakes and produce poisonous black snakes. However, copperheads will overwinter in a communal snake den with rattlers and/or black rat snakes. When such dens are discovered (and the discoverer lives to tell about it) a misconception can be formed by the fact that they were all hibernating together.
- Baby copperheads are not more venomous than adults, but nor are they less.
Now some facts:
- Young copperheads resemble the adults. They have the hourglass or bow-tie patterning although the tip of the tail is bright yellow and the markings are less vivid.
- Although dangerous, a copperhead bite is rarely fatal. In fact a copperhead’s venom is roughly ½ as potent as a diamondback rattler. It is, however, still potent enough to be extremely painful, cause extensive tissue degradation and cause loss of use of a limb. If bitten seek medical attention immediately.
- A copperhead’s coloring is designed to give it camouflage in it’s preferred habitat: the dry leaves of a woodland forest. They prefer to winter under rocky outcroppings or heavy logs. The rest of the year they may hole up in brush piles, firewood stacks, even in thick layers of organic mulch around flowers, or in your outbuilding or storage shed.
- A copperhead’s predators are possums, kingsnakes, milk snakes, black racers, cottonmouths, and hawks.
- Copperheads feed on mice, rats, voles, frogs, salamanders, toads, a variety of insects and arthropods, shrews and birds. Even animals as odd in shape as box turtles have been found inside copperhead stomachs. Young snakes eat mostly insects but as they mature they prefer small mammals and amphibians.
- The best way to deter copperheads (and most snakes) is to do a thorough yard clean-up, remove brush piles, weedy patches, mow the lawn and remove standing water where they might come to drink or hunt frogs. While cleaning, wear heavy gloves, boots and thick jeans. Use caution any time you are working around large bushes.
- Copperheads account for the majority of snake bites in the US each year. This is due partly to the fact that unlike other snakes, which will issue a warning and encourage you to leave them alone, copperheads will strike without warning. Most herpetologists (studiers of snakes) advise that if you encounter a copperhead, you should avoid it completely an let it leave. Never try to impress your friends by picking it up or teasing it. If you must kill it, do it quickly and with a long handled implement, (or a flame thrower, maybe a bazooka!) staying as far away from it as possible.
- A fully grown copperhead can reach 3 to 5 feet in length. When coiled, they may not appear that long.
- Snakes can climb and often go up trees or trellises to feed in bird nests. Windows near trees may invite them into your home.
As in most things, preparation and vigilance will most likely keep you out of trouble. Do you have a snake tale to tell? Please share your experience below.
Copperhead Resources
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/gaston/Pests/reptiles/copperhead.htm
http://www.copperhead-snake.com/
http://biology.uta.edu/herpetology/copperheads.htm
http://www.snakesandspiders.com/copperhead-snake-facts-and-information/
Since I live in the land where 9 out of the 10 most venomous snakes in the world call home (ok – make that 9 out of the top 9) snakes are around. We rarely see them. But I’ve been known to fish one out of the swimming pool with a long-handled scoop – and (to my husband’s disgust) let it go.
The advice in your article is good. Treat snakes with respect. Most people who get bitten have chased or tried to kill the snake, or done something stupid like stick their hand into a hollow log. Best to leave them alone, or get the local snake-catcher to remove them.
Thanks, Greta. I’ve seen some folks engage in those, “hey, ya’ll, watch this!” type of stupidity with snakes. Some got away with it, some didn’t. But then there’s also one of those snake handling churches not far from here – I’m all for living out your faith, but that I’ll never understand!
Yes, I’ve seen those nutters on the Teev. I wouldn’t try that with your average taipan, I’m here to tell you. That said, I’ve been to a wildlife place where the man brought out a fully charged (with venom) tiger snake. He explained that the animal was used to being handled (and fed) so it wasn’t likely to attack. Most attacks are fear-driven.
On the subject of taipans – I think they’re at #1 on that venom list. For many years they didn’t have an antivenene for it. The fellow who finally found something that worked allowed himself to be bitten. Now that’s
dedication.
I guess that’s one way to test an anti-venom – Yikes!
Okay, luv the post Allan, even though I despise and utterly fear snakes to the point of them being a phobia.
Your post was spooky, and had my skin crawling. I liked that you put pictures up, for those who aren’t sure. But I have to ask you, were you as close as that picture looked? ewww! By the way, you asked to share our exp., my husband just found one, two weeks ago, near our front deck, next to a bush, and he was laying straight out, with a frog caught in his mouth. All you could see, was the middle of the frog and his legs which were kicking, fighting to get out. No Joke, he killed the snake, and the frog, though bloody, wiggled loose, got his head out of the snakes mouth and hopped away. It was completely disgusting though my husband was thrilled he saved the frogs life! Yuk!!!
Sounds like Froggy was luck hubby came along. The snake, not so much. I used to have a friend who owned a boa constrictor. He would to go to the Co-op store and by chicks (baby chickens, not silly women) to feed it. I liked to come by and play with the snake but could not stand to be there at feeding time.
Thanks for sharing!
And the discoverer lives to tell about it… lol Great line.
Well, at least they aren’t interested in eating you.
I had a snake curl up on my hand once. Don’t know what kind it was. It was pink mostly. I didn’t realize it was a snake and when I moved my hand, it went swimming in the lake.
A pink snake huh? Had you been drinking? (Just kidding) I have heard of a pink Cornsnake but I’ve never encountered one.
In addition to all your other talents, you’re a snake charmer!
No, the snakes around here aren’t ambitious enough to try eating me. I’ve seen photos of a couple in Africa that might. But not here (thank goodness!)
Wow! That’s some snake, indeed. It’s a bummer to have to remove any critter from the ecology, but sometimes our safety demands it.
I remember reading a book called Jaguar, by Alan Rabinowitz. He established the first ever jaguar preserve in Belize sometime back in the 80s I think. Anyway, he learned the hard way that the fer-de-lance has a couple of nasty habits.
Rabinowitz came across one of these snakes and hacked at it with his machete since it was too close for comfort to their encampment. One of his guides kept yelling “No cut tru, no cut tru,” in his broken English. It was only after the severed head and body segment started chasing him did the author realize what his guide had been saying.
Also, the fer-de-lance DOES travel in mated pairs. See one, look closely nearby for the other. I had to give that advice to my brother once when he reported having seen one during a research expedition to Belize.
WHOA! That’s one determined snake! Thanks for sharing that creepy tail, Aaron.