What Snake Do You Want To Be Bitten By ?
from
Whit Gibbons
on
January 31, 2001
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What Snake Do You Want To Be Bitten By ?
By Whit Gibbons
Originally for Athens Banner- Herald - September 25, 2000
Last week I stood alongside, first, a rattlesnake, next a cottonmouth, then a copperhead. The first two made their standard threat displays, one rattling its tail, the other sitting coiled with a wide-open white mouth. The copperhead, in contrast, struck violently and left venom on my boot. I had not completely lost my senses in doing this. I was participating in a study of the response of snakes to human encounter, and I was wearing snakeproof boots.
The procedure is simple. In our test, we find a venomous snake and record its reactions. I stand for 30 seconds beside the animal in the swamp, field, road, or wherever it is found. Next I place my snakeproof boot lightly in the middle of its back, just enough to restrain it.
The reason for conducting the experiment is to assuage the unfounded anxieties people have about snakes by demonstrating that snakebite should be among our least feared accidents. Legitimate snakebites, as they are called when someone gets bitten without intentionally provoking the snake, are usually not life threatening. The majority of serious U.S. snakebites result from someone picking up or trying to kill the snake.
The odds of getting a serious snakebite in the Southeast are remarkably in our favor for several reasons. The first is that only 6 of the more than 40 species of southeastern snakes are venomous. The second is that the five species with the most potent venom and greatest potential danger are less likely to bite a person than the sixth one. Copperheads bite more people in most years than any other U.S. species but they also have the mildest venom. Based on the research being conducted, the reason is becoming apparent why copperheads inflict the most bites.
All the snake species tested have had the same initial response to our presence. If given the opportunity, they escape--down a hole, under a ledge, or in the case of cottonmouths, into the water. Escape is even the standard behavior of enormous diamondback rattlesnakes, which will immediately disappear if they have enough warning before they think you can reach them.
But escape is often not possible, so most snakes hold their ground, ready to defend themselves. A difference between copperheads and the other species appears in the next phase, when they are approached. When feeling threatened by the proximity of a human, most rattlesnakes vibrate their tails and most cottonmouths sit with mouth agape. These displays are merely warnings not to tread on them. They are not aggressive attack measures. The snakes just want us to leave them alone.
So far, the dozens of cottonmouths I have stood beside have made threat displays but not bitten the boot. The same has been true for canebrake rattlesnakes although too few have been tested to declare that they are as passive as cottonmouths. My prediction is they will be. The exciting news (at least for the researchers) is that the copperhead is different from the others. Most copperheads tested have struck out immediately when they felt threatened.
This behavior explains why more people receive legitimate snakebites from copperheads than from any other species of venomous snake in North America. Still to be investigated is another aspect of copperhead bites: many are not serious enough to require more than minor medical treatment. I think this is so not only because the venom of a copperhead is significantly less potent than that of rattlesnakes or cottonmouths but also because they seldom inject much venom anyway.
The copperhead's initial threat display is to strike. It lashes out at an enemy as a warning. If the enemy is close enough, the fangs may penetrate the skin. However, because this is a threat display, not an attempt to kill, the snake injects little venom. A copperhead has no intention of wasting valuable venom if it can scare away the menace with a minor bite.
The approach of a southern autumn brings the prospect of colorful leaves and enjoyable fall weather. Along with these changes come snakes: some mating, some moving to hibernation sites, most giving birth to young. You will see many more leaves than snakes to appreciate this autumn, but if you do find a snake, enjoy it too. Just be careful if it's a copperhead that thinks you are a threat.
If you have an environmental question or comment, email ecoviews@srel.edu.
About the author:
Whit Gibbons is the Senior Professor of Ecology at the University of Georgia's Savannah River Ecology Laboratory in Aiken, South Carolina.
What Snake Do You Want To Be Bitten By ?
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by filthy on February 2, 2001
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I don't wanna be bitten by any of 'em......
Good aritcle, and pretty much confirms what I've always thought. Coppers in the field can be snappy. But I'm always slightly supprised to hear of a Timber bite. These tend to be very mild tempered and I've never recieved a defensive strike from one (never stepped on one, though). I've found Canebrakes to be a little higher strung and Cottons exactly as described.
f
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by CASCABELLADONNA on February 2, 2001
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I AGREE WITH FILTHY IN THAT I WOULDN'T WANT TO BE BITTEN BY ANY OF THEM---HAVING SAID THAT I HAVE A DIFFERENT VIEW OF COPPERS==I TRULY ADORE THIS SNAKE AND MY FINDINGS HAVE BEEN A TAD CONTRADICTORY TO THOSE DESCRIBED--I'VE ALWAYS FOUND COPPERS MILD-TEMPERED WHEN CONFRONTED. OF COURSE--THIS IS IN VIRGINIA AND COULD BE A TAD DIFFERENT.I ALSO HAVE FOUND A FEW COPPERHEADS IN TEXAS OF MILD TEMPERMENT AS WELL. COTTONS THAT I HAVE WORKED WITH HAVE BEEN PRETTY CHILLED OUT, AS DESCRIBED. TIMBERS HAVE BEEN THE SAME FOR ME--MELLOW. UNLIKE MOST OF THE OTHER CROTALID SPECIES I HAVE SEEN.........THANKS FOR THE ARTICLE:)
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Anonymous post on February 5, 2001
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Interesting article although I have to disagree. I will say that my experience with Coppers is not as extensive as Whits' but my encounters have shown this snake to be mild and passive. I have even placed my hand on the body of a Copper approximately 1/3 of the way up fom the tail of what appeared to be approx. 18" length. This was on a June afternoon just after a rain storm where I had found the snake basking under a large rock. It's only reaction was a tounge flick and an attempt to escape. I was able to pick up the snake supporting it with a stick and gently manipulated it for a couple of minutes until I realized that it had a belly full (not sure if it had recently eaten or preg)
but even with my lack of expertise this snake was docile. Other not so dramatic encounters have shown this snake to be much less interested in me than my interest in it!!!
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by snakenate on March 16, 2001
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I too find the coppers to be very mild tempered. With my inexperience I was able to pet a 2 foot female copper on the head. But I would agree to always be carefull no matter what kind of snake it is.
Thanks
Nayte
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by Gypsy on April 7, 2001
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Hi Filthy,
I'm wondering if you're the same Filthy I knew working Carny in Texas in '82 or so..if you are,drop a reply here & I'll get in touch...
Gypsy
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by Scooter on April 25, 2001
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I just recently caught a copperhead this past weekend,and I found it to be one of the most aggressive snakes I have ever come across.As soon as I got within striking distance it tried to bite me,and it continued striking until I got it in a box.One thing I noticed while I was catching the copper,Is that it was shaking its tail like a rattler as if it were trying to warn me.Now that I have it in a tank I have noticed it has calmed down alot and has not tried to strike me once after I fed it.I also have a NewMexican Coontail Rattler and I find it a pretty aggressive snake.I do agree with you though on the attitudes of the snakes you have listed, even though I have only acouple encounters with cottenmouths.Im from Dickson Tennessee and I see a good many of snakes through out the week they have a good habitat out there.Well thanks for all of your info, Scooter
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by lgrubb on July 13, 2001
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I think I was bitten by a copperhead yesterday and my experience mirrors exactly what Whit had to say. We were walking our dogs in a wooded area adjacent to our subdivision (live in North Texas). The dogs ran ahead up the trail (lots of leaf litter) and I was walking along when I felt a sharp pain in my heel. I picked my foot up to look at it and saw a single, bleeding puncture mark, at the same time that my mother yelled "snake!" I never saw it or heard it, but I FELT it. My heel/ankle swelled and turned red and two of the coag tests they ran were slightly outside of normal, but nothing concerning...just a heel that I can't put weight on for awhile. Anyway, mom's description of the snake matches a young copperhead (she said it was 18-20" and motled greyish) and your description of their behavior definitely matches. I can only guess if it was a copperhead, but the idea that they don't inject as much venom in a defensive bite supports the fact that my foot isn't more damaged (especially since the other fang must have contacted my shoe). Anyway, this site has been very educational...thanks for being a great resource!
PS - The hospital said they have seen several rat snake bites. I haven't found much info on them...could that be what got me?
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by Vishnu on July 15, 2001
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I am certainly pleased to see these articles. I have coppers and in captivity they are very doclie. Not to the point of making me do something stupid and play with them. One I have had for 19 years.This animal is beautiful and a wonderful hot to have. I have a 10 year old cane brake rattler that I got early in his life. I picked him up right after his birth. This one has been serious since then. He has never settled down and is very prone to bite even now. He starts rattling and assumes a S coil the second you get in range. Now I have another of the same species that is 5 years and a male,but is quiet and never assumes a S coil.I believe it is the personality of each snake. It is always a pleasure to have these magnificent animals around.
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by Sleazeweazel on July 20, 2001
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Whit: I have observed that some species have more stereotypical behaviors than others. Rat snakes for example can generally be held while they strike at everything other than the hand that holds them. This is a good trick for amazing the natives.
After 35 years of catching snakes in the SE, I have observed that Diamondbacks are predictable. They always bite. That is why the snake handling cults never made it into central Georgia.
Canebrakes (and timbers) are for the most part docile. That is why we have only comparatively recently learned how toxic their venom is. Bill Tudor found out the hard way. Anything that can kill him is truely deadly.
There is a wide range of variation in copperheads and moccasins. Most of both are generally docile, but some few are extremely hostile. The most aggressive snake I have evere encountered anywhere in the world was a small Bright brick red moccasin in Dixie County Florida in the California swamp. It was dusk, I would surely have stepped on it but for the fact that it began to violently strike when I was over thirty feet away, actually throwing its body off the ground in the process and landing forward of its original position.
This is the same behavior reported for Porthidium nummifer, the jumping tommygoff. I have found about ten, and all were docile with the spectacular exception of one that struck at the face of a poor Guatemalan as we climbed a cliff in Belize. The plucky fellow managed to chop it in half as he fell off the cliff, then he grabbed a vine to save his life. It was a fine moment.
Bothrops asper has a terrible reputation. I have found many, but have never found a nasty one. On the other hand, the death list his high, and one legged jungle explorers are common, so there must be something to it.
At the top of my list of venemous snake encounters is the time I once had a king cobra try to crawl across my lap as I sat on the edge of a cliff in Java. It's head was about 18" from my nose, it was alert and curious, investigating my toes, etc, but never became aggressive, even when I stood up. It merely retreated.
Most copperheads, especially northerns, are docile, but I just found one in Tennessee last month that was mean as hell!
I think the circumstance in which you encounter the animal is all imoportant. How warm is the snake? How exposed is it? Some snakes, such as the Bothrops only bite at night (if you are lucky!)
I take it you are lucky. I'm lucky too!
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by Morg43 on July 30, 2001
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I for one will take a rain check on which snake I want to take a hit from, however as a boy growing up in Missouri I found the copperheads to be the most aggressive, got to admit that big gaping white mouth of a mocasin is enough to give you chills. I really enjoyed the article and as a fairly new member I am enjoying this site tremendously.
Morg
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by scottquint on August 31, 2001
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Interestingly, I have informally conducted this same experiment, but I have gotten slightly different results with cottonmouths and copperheads in North Carolina. With the cottonmouth, the only way I can get the snake to stand its ground and display is to physically restrain it and prevent it from escaping. I do this sometimes to get photos. They have always surprised me by fleeing even if I think I have them cornered. With copperheads I get mixed results. Usually, they will either flee at a dignified pace or act disinterested in my presence. They only attempt to bite when I actually restrain them. In one case at night, I actually sttod next to a moderate sized female in Pender County for several seconds trying to get my bag open while she ignored me. When i placed the bag on the ground and attempted to prod her into it she casually moved in the opposite direction. The EDB rattlesnakes I have observed in Florida (I have yet to find any in NC)have all attempted to flee even when apparently cornered, except for one I caught sleeping on the side of the road, which had no real reaction. The Pygmy rattlesnakes in FL have almost always struck at me when I prvented retreat. I have never personally seen a Coralsnake even attempt to bite in any circumstance.
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by CrotolidKid on December 9, 2001
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If I had to Get bit by one of them I would... Get it from the Copper-Head Just cause the LD50 test
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by Ophion on March 9, 2002
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I don't know about anyone else, but out of all my hots (cobras, eastern diamondback, etc) my canebrake is the one I LEAST like to fool with. She is always active and strikes eagerly at anything that comes near her. My copperhead is also a little bastard that strikes alot. And of course my cottonmouth is a stinky, mean little beast. The calmest viper I have is my eastern diamondback, who allows a lot of manipulating and tailing without a rattle - go figure.
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by yoshi on December 9, 2002
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hey Igrubb, a rat snake is a type of king and if you did recieve any venome this wasn't the snake...
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by SouthernCatcher on May 4, 2003
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I don't have the years in the woods that many of you do. (only 19) But I have been catching snakes since 5. (Non-venomous) Starting in my teens I began to catch our local venomous snakes. In all my times in the woods I have seen a good many examples, and I have shared experiences with the owner of the Serpinterium on Edisto Island.
According to this man, he has caught literally thousands of Eastern Diamondbacks. In all his times he has only found three which aggresively attacked. These examplified the pattern of striking while jumping forward, covering up to six feet in each strike. BUT THIS WAS ONLY 3 SNAKES! The rest (well over 99%) chose to retreat in typical EDB style, in reverse with the s-coil ready for a strike.
I find most other venomous snakes to be simply defensive. They don't give ground, but I have never been struck at unless I have tried to catch or have stepped on the snake. I have actually cornered and pushed a 4 foot canebreak into a bucket, all without a strike. (Though his rattles were singing the whole time, and I never touched the snake.)
Short of stepping on the snake, legitimate bites are extremely hard to recieve!
Did anyone else notice that there hasn't been any discussion on venom and which would be the easiest to survive through? isn't that how your supposed to knowledgeablely choose which species you would prefer to be tagged by? That would make sense to me.
In response to the question about a rat snake bite. I have recieved more non-venomous bites than i care to think about. (many from rats of various sorts.) I have never had swelling, even when the snake has left a tooth in my hand. I doubt seriously if any rat snake could cause swelling.
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by cottonmouthtom on May 16, 2003
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I have to agree with Dr. Gibbons. While stationed in the Navy in North Carolina I captured and encountered many Copperheads, Cottonmouths, and Canebrake rattlesnakes. I found that the Copperheads for the most part were the most aggressive when encountered and the Canebrake the least. Most of the Canebrakes I encountered were interested in escape rather than an encounter with me. The Cottonmouths would only use a defensive posture if encountered in a coiled position. If they were encountered on the move, most of them would be interested only in escape. Every Copperhead I encountered immediately assumed a defensive posture, coild and struck if I approached within a few feet.
Wayne T. 'Tom' Helfrich
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by cityfarmer on July 13, 2003
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Well, given a choice I would not elect to be bitten by a snake. I have been bitten by snakes as a younger man, all non-poisonous. I prefer the bite of the black snake, that is what has always bitten me. Three times in my life. The bite made me sick to my stomach for quite a few hours and the bite area became inflamed and infected looking for close to 5 days, and when a black snake bites it is not just a little nip, you know you have been bitten. Of course I might have been teasing it also.
I actually have a question about a snake I found while mowing. I found two "Ringneck snakes" no problem identifying them. I also found I assume was a rather large "Garter snake". The colors of it though threw me off. It was a very dark, charcoal grey to black and spotted ever so lightly with redish-oranges to yellow scales. Its underside was pale gray, for lack of a better color description. It was close to 2 feet long and it was not very agressive. Am I right in assuming it was a "Garter snake"?
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by jimmorrison on July 28, 2003
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If I had to be bit, I would pick the copperhead. There has been no reported deaths from a copperhead in Missouri in 20 or more years. I do agree about the agressive nature of the copperhead. The past 2 summers I have encounterd about 70 of them and 65 of them would strike at any movement my snake stick gave them. Great snakes though very beuitful animals. I only wish everyone around where I live thought the same.
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by herpman05 on September 28, 2003
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Ive got a wild caught pet copperhead, and wow is he agressive. and all the rattlers and cottons I catch only the pygmy rattler struck at me. Whats amberrising is that the pig got me, but that was when i was just 14
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by Tommy on December 27, 2003
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I have found it really depends on the indidual snake. I have been around coppers sicne I was 10 only 6 years ago. I have cought around 200 since that time with the help of my dad when i was younger any ways. Out of that number only about a donzen have struck at me and most with their mouths closed. I have been bitten 2 times thow in the past year. The first bite was a large female around 4ft it was a dry bite. The second bite was a large male around 3ft and it was a very mild bite. My lag swelled up like a basketball. They were both my falt and i know that. Someone was trying to kill the big male and i scared him off. He was beating him with a stick and thats probebly the reason he was so ticked off. But i saved him and thats all that matters to me.
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by RonnieHurst on December 30, 2003
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I would rather take a hit from anything other than the canebrake rattlesnake. Mr. Bill Haast told me about 12 years ago to be very careful when working with them. He knew even then that they had a very high level of neurotoxins in their venom. I still get chills when I think back to the fact that this is the hot I began to work with as a child years ago. I caught my first one as a child by holding the sides of a wire screen cricket bucket in front of it and coaxing it in with a stick (see what I'm saying about chills). Over the years I have walked right near, stepped over, and once in Berrian County Georgia, even stepped on a canebrake that was well hidden in leaves. Yet I have never been bitten. In fact most never even rattled. However this is NOT a rule. I have walked up on some that have rattled and struck while I was several feet away from them. I have been lucky. But I dont temp fate. I made dumb mistakes, not from machoism, but from inexperience in my young days. Now, I just look back, thank the Lord for protection, and be careful.
PS- if you are ignorant enough to pet a hot snake on the head, please do everyone here a favor and don't allow the world to know it. And also... grow up a little.
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by CroAdamanteus on May 13, 2004
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I thought this was a interesting article. Personally, I have not gotten a chance to encounter E. Diamondbacks or Cottonmouths in the wild, although I would love the opportunity. In my experience, as it has been duly noted, individual snakes have their own personalities and temperments. Like others I have seen copperheads that are really snappy, some placid. Same with Timber Rattlesnakes. When I have captured snakes in the field, particularly N. Copperheads and T. Rattlesnakes (the only venomous species we have in western Rutherford County, NC), typically what I have found is that for the most part both species are relatively docile, generally speaking of course. A friend of mine and I once flipped a cover board that had five N. Copperheads under it. Two lay perfectly still and would hardly budge when prodded with my hook. The other three each tried to escape. Two of the escapees didn't put up whole lot of fight when we cornered them. The third was just nasty. It backed up into a pile of sticks and struck repeatedly at my hook. Another N. Copperhead we captured and actually placed in an educational exhibit has been wonderful. Probably one of the most docile snakes I have ever worked with. It's also one of the most beautiful copperheads I've ever seen. It has never attempted to bite, it eats well, and doesn't mind being transported or moved from cage to cage.
My friend and I have also captured several Timber Rattlesnakes. Again, most were fairly even-tempered, only rattling when really agitated or sufficiently warmed up. I have an unbelievable, in your face photo of a monster Timber that I took. It was a large male that weighed around two pounds. I probably took a real chance getting as close as I did to him to get the photograph, but he was very tolerant of me getting in close to him, and this was a wild snake. He puffed up and rattled for about 30 seconds but just sat there as I slowly moved around him to take his picture. At the same time, I've had others that wouldn't have sat there that long for me to photograph them. They wouldv'e been looking for cover.
So basically to make a long story short, I don't want to get bitten by any of them, and I think that trying to associate a particular temperment to a snake species, even through supporting evidence, may perhaps cause inexperienced handlers to get the wrong idea. I think the records speak for themselves. Snakes are as different as individual people. Conditions in which they are found and the associated stresses I believe help determine a snake's behavior, regardless of the species.
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by jared_cormier on June 13, 2004
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during a research project I am currently working on, I can thus far compare the florida cottonmouths from a population in St. Landry parish with a population of southern copperheads in Acadia parish, both have extremely mild temperments, however, it appears the mood of the snake has a great deal to do with the aggressive nature of the snake. A cottonmouth I have dubbed "Deb" has a particularly grumpy attitude when she hasn't fed in more than 12 days or so. Since I feed the copperheads at the same time, the most aggressive copperhead, dubbed "Ruby," has yet to strike at my hand, while Deb has attempted repeated times. Prior to these experiments, I believe it would be pertinent to feed these snakes on a similar schedule while being housed in controlled environments or at least similar environments before these tests are conducted, as I find copperheads and cottonmouths to be very docile snakes unless they are quite hungry.
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by captiveherps on June 14, 2004
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My copperheads have never tried to bite me (not that I give them a chance, neither have my dusky pygmy's, my cascabels on the other hand rattle when you walk past the room they are in and go nuts when they smell food. The copperheads and cascabels are captive born the pygmys are wild caught.
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by SnakeWrangler on October 25, 2004
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Just wanted to comment on this posting. I am in the Marine Corps and in Marine Combat Training a few years ago at Camp Geiger in Jacksonville, N.C., there was a 3 ft Southern Copperhead on the trail we were hiking on. Several of the guys were getting scared so I just stood about three feet away from the snake and had them go around me. The snake did not move at all or offer to strike. Every time I have encountered coppers, they have not offered to strike unless provoked by sudden movements. Remaining calm even if you are afraid of a snake is key.
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by Voided37 on August 18, 2007
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None of 'em.......thank you!
But if i GOTTA take a hit give me the copperhead bite. Usually less and weaker venom from all experience i've encountered and heard of. The rest of the article mirrors my experience. But I'd have to add that all snakes of the same type are individuals and have personality kinda like people, and some are real A-holes, so be-AWARE!
Good article though, THANKS!
AND I LOVE THIS WEBSITE!!!
Steve
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