Killed a Cottonmouth also called a Water Moccasin

[Mike Phillips]

Killed a Cottonmouth also called a Water Moccasin


A couple of weekends ago while driving we saw a Cottonmouth snake crossing the road. I did not recognize it to be honest, it's not my area of expertise. My wife Stacy however as an experienced Bow Hunter here in the swampland of Florida did immediately identify it and had me drive over it a couple of times to kill it. In the community we were in there were people walking on the sidewalk, a few out walking with their dogs.

I'm not normally a kill-what-you-don't-understand type of guy, in fact I can't count how many frogs, toads, lizards, dragonflies, etc. I've found in the garage here at Autogeek that I have went out of my way to capture and then take to the nearby creek and let them loose as they are one of God's creatures and have their place in our eco-system.

That said... these snakes are dangerous and also they can be aggressive. So I listened to my wife and drove over it a few times and then backed up and made sure it was in fact dead. (sorry PETA)


Florida Cottonmouth








Here's some info I cyber-dug up....


Florida Cottonmouth also called the water moccasin.

The Florida Cottonmouth is a venomous water snake. Their body coloration ranges from patterned to simply a dull black. You can identify this species by the black "eye line" that runs from the side of their eye back down the side of their head. Juvenile cottonmouths have a different coloration than adults do, but will still have this "eye line".

Cottonmouths, or water moccasins, are aggressive semi-aquatic snakes native to the southeast; they have an intermediate-potency venom. Snake venoms can be classified as hemotoxic (attacking tissue and blood) and neurotoxic (damaging or destroying nerve tissue). Pit viper snake venoms are hemotoxic, except for some Mojave rattlers.

The cottonmouth (also known as the water moccasin) bite is much more dangerous and harmful to humans than the bite of the closely related copperhead, but rarely leads to death. The cottonmouth is more aggressive, but as with the copperhead, biting isn’t common unless the snake is actually touched.

Conversely, the cottonmouth/water moccasin has a more aggressive reputation, but when threatened, will occasionally hiss and almost always assume a strike-ready pose. The very white interior of the cottonmouth’s mouth and the snake’s habit of opening its mouth extremely wide in warning provides the common name.

The Water Moccasin Snake is believed to be one of the most dangerous snakes out there. The venom doesn’t cause severe reactions though as it does NOT have any neurotoxins in it. However, the risk of an infection is very great. It is important to seek immediate medical attention from such a bite. When that is done there is very little chance that you won’t make a full recovery.


Also known as a water pit viper, the cottonmouth is the only semiaquatic viper in the world. This snake is a strong swimmer and can be found commonly across the Southeastern United States. It has been reported to be ocean-going as well, colonizing remote islands in the Gulf of Mexico.

The cottonmouth is one of the most feared venomous snakes in North America. Its powerful cytotoxic venom is so destructive that it can eat away flesh and result in grisly amputations.

Their preference for hiding in water and attacking when least expected means that bites are also relatively frequent. Thankfully, modern CroFab antivenom keeps fatalities very low. In fact, cottonmouth venom is one of the main components of the treatment, along with venom from diamondback and Mojave rattlesnakes.


Thought I'd share and for all my Florida friends, as summer is upon us just be heads-up when tramping around in and around marshes, of which there are plenty here in South Florida.

[Mike Phillips]

Continued...

Here's my other snake thread for the newbies on this forum....


Mystery Snake

[Mike Phillips]

Continued....


I don't think I have a dedicated thread for these pictures, you'll find them in the "Mystery Snake" thread but I figured might as well add them here....


A few summers ago my wife Stacy killed this with a Butcher Knife in our front yard...

And yes, this is the real deal... a Coral Snake






"Red on yellow, kill a fellow; Red on black, friend of Jack"




She saw another Coral Snake about a month ago in the same place...

[Ebg18t]

A few summers ago my wife Stacy killed this with a Butcher Knife in our front yard...

And yes, this is the real deal... a Coral Snake

Mike - Your wife is hardcore. Not many people are willing to get that close to a venomous snake.
Eric



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[ducksfan]

Killed it with a butcher knife. Your wife sounds kind of bad a**. I had to capture a diamondback once with a lasso on the end of a pole. I didn't get closer than ten feet from it and still my body was on high alert the entire time. I don't like snakes.

I was taught a long time ago, that only one of the ten deadliest water animals lives in cold water (Sting or bite wise). All the others, are warm water (and I think over half are active on the Atlantic extending down through all the islands.) I am perfectly comfortable with the hassles of wetsuit materials to use the Pacific.

[LEDetailing]

Venomous snakes, alligators, and love bugs. I’ll stick to deer running out from the woods and mosquitoes. Talk to me in 5 months when it starts snowing and I’ll probably change my tune

Your wife sounds like a female Crocodile Dundee. I don’t think I have the marbles to kill a snake with a knife.

[PaulMys]

Cool thread Mike.

30+ years ago, I was visiting family in Arkansas. My uncle took me fishing. As we were standing by this stream casting away, he suddenly says "Watch out. Stand back a little".

I had no clue what he was talking about, but I backed up. He picked up a big rock and stood there. Sure enough, this Cotton Mouth swam up and onto the bank in front of us. He smashed it with the rock.

I was like Holy crap! He said "Yup, they are super aggressive". He said he watched it plop into the water on the other side of the stream and swim toward us.

After that, I spent most of the time looking around for snakes instead of enjoying fishing. Lol

[Kamakaz1961]

Man crazy! Glad you took care of it!

[VISITOR]

you may have saved someone from getting seriously injured or perhaps killed. snakes are no joke and all it takes is one bite... hopefully, you don't ever come across one of these in your path...

[Route246]

Heck, up here in NorCal we got sissy stuff like possums, squirrels, raccoons, deer and occasional rattlesnakes. Nothing like what you'll got in Florida, for sure.