08-22-2005, 11:00
|
#31
|
|
Moderator
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 1,938
|
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Kyobanim
Okay, so I suck at photography. Normally I take a pretty good picture but snakes scare the shit out of me. I had no intentions of getting any closer to the bastard.
I'm 80% sure of the identity. When I kill the bastard and cut off its head I'll know for sure.
Kudos to Dan. Banded water snake. This one is usually confused with the cotton mouth. The body shapes are the same, that's what threw me initially. The head is also slightly triangle shaped. The rat was most likely constricted, as this snake is non-venomous. That would jive with the labored breathing and such.
This is what he looked like to me at 630 this morning. Very similar to a cotton mouth. I have killed a couple of those around the house.
|
Why would you kill it?
Banded water snakes are harmless to humans. And are you sure the rat's death wasn't a coincidence? Banded water snakes don't generally eat rats; they prefer water-dwelling food like fish, frogs and crawdads.
Also, how big was the one you saw? From the coloring of the bands, I'd say it was little more than a baby. Baby-killer! 
I grew up in Florida. Florida is great for snakes; we've got both tropical and temperate climate ones. There is no reason but irrational fear or sadism to kill a snake that isn't harmful to humans, and many reasons not to (the most important being pest, especially rodent, control). Kill a rabbit before you kill a snake; rabbits are far more of a pest. Note that this isn't coming from sentimental snake-love: kill any rattler, water mocassin, cottonmouth or coral snake you come across.
|
|
Airbornelawyer is offline
|
|
|
08-22-2005, 20:08
|
#32
|
|
Quiet Professional
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Free Pineland
Posts: 24,780
|
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Airbornelawyer
kill any rattler, water mocassin, cottonmouth or coral snake you come across.
|
Isn't a water moccasin and a cottonmouth the same snake?
TR
__________________
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat." - President Theodore Roosevelt, 1910
De Oppresso Liber 01/20/2025
|
|
The Reaper is offline
|
|
|
08-22-2005, 20:24
|
#33
|
|
Area Commander
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Colorado
Posts: 1,205
|
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by The Reaper
Isn't a water moccasin and a cottonmouth the same snake?
TR
|
Yep!
|
|
CoLawman is offline
|
|
|
08-22-2005, 20:30
|
#34
|
|
Moderator
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 1,938
|
You're right. Copperhead was the other "C" one I meant.
|
|
Airbornelawyer is offline
|
|
|
08-22-2005, 21:45
|
#35
|
|
Guest
|
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Airbornelawyer
Why would you kill it?
Banded water snakes are harmless to humans. And are you sure the rat's death wasn't a coincidence? Banded water snakes don't generally eat rats; they prefer water-dwelling food like fish, frogs and crawdads.
Also, how big was the one you saw? From the coloring of the bands, I'd say it was little more than a baby. Baby-killer!
I grew up in Florida. Florida is great for snakes; we've got both tropical and temperate climate ones. There is no reason but irrational fear or sadism to kill a snake that isn't harmful to humans, and many reasons not to (the most important being pest, especially rodent, control). Kill a rabbit before you kill a snake; rabbits are far more of a pest. Note that this isn't coming from sentimental snake-love: kill any rattler, water mocassin, cottonmouth or coral snake you come across. |
Agree with you. We picked up some rat snakes for the farm because poison just wasn't working.
The snakes are now 6' long and very happy  . I hate rats.
Banded water snake - that must have been what I disturbed the other day. Reddish-brown and yellow bands. He wouldn't go away; had to poke him with a longeing whip.
|
|
|
|
|
08-23-2005, 10:55
|
#36
|
|
Consigliere
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Free Pineland (at last)
Posts: 8,767
|
K-
Your pictures suck. Not only is it hard to see the eyes, but you need one from above or some other angle where you can see the shape of the head.
|
|
Roguish Lawyer is offline
|
|
|
08-23-2005, 12:05
|
#37
|
|
Moderator
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Central Florida
Posts: 3,045
|
Next time I'll ask the fooking snake to pose 
__________________
"Are you listening or just waiting to talk?"
Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.
"Fate rarely calls upon us at a moment of our choosing."
Optimus Prime
|
|
Kyobanim is offline
|
|
|
08-23-2005, 13:33
|
#38
|
|
Quiet Professional
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Colorado Springs
Posts: 4,510
|
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by The Reaper
Isn't a water moccasin and a cottonmouth the same snake?
|
Its worth killing twice.
|
|
Razor is offline
|
|
|
08-23-2005, 14:32
|
#39
|
|
Quiet Professional
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Vermont
Posts: 3,093
|
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Roguish Lawyer
K-
Your pictures suck. Not only is it hard to see the eyes, but you need one from above or some other angle where you can see the shape of the head.
|
Come on RL, tell us how you really feel about his photographic ability. Seems that I recall an event with a video cam not to long ago that produced mixed results, but then I am getting old and am probably confusing that episode with someone else
__________________
Wenn einer von uns fallen sollt, der Andere steht für zwei.
|
|
Jack Moroney (RIP) is offline
|
|
|
08-23-2005, 15:41
|
#40
|
|
Consigliere
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Free Pineland (at last)
Posts: 8,767
|
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Jack Moroney
Come on RL, tell us how you really feel about his photographic ability. Seems that I recall an event with a video cam not to long ago that produced mixed results, but then I am getting old and am probably confusing that episode with someone else |
And no one gave me a hard time about it either.
No one complained about the still photos I took -- those are easy compared to 24-hour digital recording to a hard drive! 
|
|
Roguish Lawyer is offline
|
|
|
Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
|
|
|
| Thread Tools |
|
|
| Display Modes |
 Linear Mode
|
Posting Rules
|
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off
|
|
|
All times are GMT -6. The time now is 16:26.
|
|
|
