East Texas Yard Nature - Fall 2020
Old-Colts
Member Posts: 22,697 ✭✭✭
Yesterday afternoon I went out on the Tarmac (aka Driveway) to assess how much pine straw and leaves I would need to deal with when I mow on Sunday after Church. I was walking along the North edge of the driveway, looking out in the grass, to see if any pine cones needed to be removed before mowing. While I was standing at one spot, assessing what I needed to do, I happened to look down and about two feet from my left foot was a tightly coiled young Copperhead on the driveway. When I was walking down the edge of the driveway, the Copperhead just looked like a large, colorful, Sassafras leaf. I’m reminded of the old saying, “if it had been a snake, it would have bitten me”! I killed another baby Copperhead about 3 weeks ago and now this more mature, but still young Copperhead. These were the first Copperheads we’ve seen on our side of the County Road since we moved here in 2006. I'm really surprised this one didn't try to nail my leg!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Here is the before picture, you probably don’t need to see the obvious after picture!
If you can't feel the music; it's only pink noise!
Comments
Bill, it's been my experience that a Copperhead, large or small, will not usually strike unless you get within, or inside of about a foot of it. Not something that I did on purpose either time. Glad you are safe!!!
Hold your breath when placing your toes or fingers next to their body and them little un's won't usually bite because they have tender teeth and gums and really just want a friend.
If you are really religious you can dance with them also.
If you can't feel the music; it's only pink noise!
If you can't feel the music; it's only pink noise!
David's probably right from what I can see on my old iPhone. You're lucky he did not strike! I've had my hand within a foots distance of a Copperhead, and he was about to nail me, but I withdrew my hand just in time.
I have seen lots of adult cottonmouths, in Georgia they are almost black with virtually no pattern. Tend to be short and fat and a really ugly snake. I didn't know the babies were so brightly colored. We don't have 'em up here in the mountains so I haven't seen a cottonmouth in 25 years.
As usual, Nunn is correct. Juveniles of both species have yellow tail tips, used as "caudal lures" the are waved slowly to lure lizards close enough to strike. There are differences in head structure and color pattern, but they are similar being closely related.
@He Dog; what, specifically, do you see in this one that is proof positive that it is a young Cottonmouth?
If you can't feel the music; it's only pink noise!
Bill, everything about it is Cottonmouth, markings especially. Can you imagine one of this juvenile color five feet or better in length and bigger than my forearm?!!! I stood in awe of it. Huge, not fat, and sunning itself on a tree log that ran straight away from the bank, and, I don't recall exactly, about 15 feet away from it. It's head was also massive, and I'd think right at 3 & 1/2 inches wide! Imagine what that hummer would look like in its prime! Hardin County, Texas Big Thicket Cottonmouth!!!
You probably have a big 'in down on the creek in the same spot everyday!!!
Old-Colts, it is honestly hard to tell you. Like, how do you explain how you know it is a .22 and not a centerfire or a shotgun the moment you see it. The color pattern is more varied than a copperhead pattern which is more regular. It has random spots of color copperhead juveniles do not have. The head has a more ridgid triangular edge. Copperheads have a similar shape, but the edges are softer, and the head is relatively a little smaller. Copperheads are also a bit more gracile, and have a more velvety skin texture. Beyond that, I can only say 60 years of looking makes ID pretty swift if not instant, and it is hard to articulate what all I see that goes into a conclusion.
This is not to suggest Nunn is anywhere as near as old as I, I don't want to be banned quite yet, and he really is a pretty good guy.
All I can say is, one summer day, I was down in south Georgia, picking mushrooms in a pasture, and I was near the pond. I just glanced up and there was a four-foot cottonmouth, all curled up and that mouth was wide open, my wrist was about 18 inches away. I'd love to have it on video but I swear I jumped four feet high, and five feet back.
I was quite nimble and athletic in those days.
The big ugly snake did indeed have a big mouth that looked like cotton on the inside. Really ugly fat black snake not a pretty pattern like the Eastern Diamondback. I just missed getting nailed by that big poisonous snake.
I went on about my business and gave that snake a wide berth. I try to leave the snakes alone, if they will leave me alone.
I figure, God put them on earth for a reason.
If you can't feel the music; it's only pink noise!
Some of the adult ones we called Stumptails are really heavy and might be only about three feet, but then there are obviously really big ones like the one I mentioned above that still had beautiful juvenile colors. It was an experience that I'll never forget, and it was in a snake infested marsh that had the musty smell Bill referred to. You had to be on your P's & Q's when you walked around the accessible bank of this body of water.
He Dog, my experience is much like that of what other members have noted where color is discussed, so why is it that we have seen so few of the brightly colored juveniles as opposed to typical darker colored young? Any ideas?
I will probably start wearing boots when I roam through our woods and down around the creek and pond!
If you can't feel the music; it's only pink noise!
If you can't feel the music; it's only pink noise!
So, why haven't we seen more of these brightly colored juveniles, especially when some obviously retain bright colors when they become huge, like the one I mentioned? I don't know, it simply does not make good sense that while we were growing up, or as men, so few instances of seeing these bright kind have been discussed here. Maybe David or some other folks can weigh in on the subject, since they definitely know their snakes. Dale just broadened it a whole lot in his answer to me.
Then, to add insult to injury, the day after the Copperheaded-Rattle-Moccasin incident; I had the garage door open while sharpening the blades on my walk-behind mower and started hearing something buzzing in the garage and an occasional thumping sound. I stopped what I was doing and looked around the garage and there was a Hummingbird hovering under the LED Ceiling lights (probably thought it was the sun) and would bump the ceiling probably thinking that was the sky; NOPE. It had probably come in because of the red handle hanging on the garage door release cord, thinking it was a flower, and couldn't find its way out despite that huge opening with the door open. Even with turning the garage lights off, it took me and my wife about 30 minutes of trying to herd the Hummingbird to the door opening before I was finally able to get a broom high enough above it to push it downward towards the door and finally "it saw daylight" and got the heck out!!!!
If you can't feel the music; it's only pink noise!
He began growling and biting and shaking something, so I got close. In one of the holes in the bank where a large root had once been, it appeared that a mama Cottonmouth was birthing her young. Well Nick had a grudge against Cottonmouths, and as each one crawled out, he grabbed and killed it. Must have been a dozen of 'em.
Mama didn't ever come out, which was OK by me, since some of the babies had bitten Nick, and I figured he'd had enough. I called him off, and we went home.
Nick was a good dog. He was nearly 15 years old when he got throat cancer and I had to have him put down.