Florida Cottonmouth (aka Water Moccasin)

[ClemBert]

I have this 4 foot cottonmouth living in my backyard. Its been hanging out there for at least a week that I know of. It gives me the creeps. I think I'm gonna have to introduce it to my snake charmer. Damn, I HATE snakes! Slimy creepy critters....even "the good ones".

 

[Sugar River]

That's a big one awright. Looks like it might be gravid. Hurry up and kill it before you have 10 more to deal with.

Pete

 

[Sheriff]

That's a week longer than it'd have hung around my backyard! :shock: That Judge ought to handle it nicely. :lol:

 

[TinkerDave]

I have this 4 foot cottonmouth living in my backyard. Its been hanging out there for at least a week that I know of. It gives me the creeps. I think I'm gonna have to introduce it to my snake charmer. Damn, I HATE snakes! Slimy creepy critters....even "the good ones".

Just as a matter of interest - snakes are not slimy as they are reptiles, not like frogs which are amphibians. Although they can certainly give a person the willies, and in this case you might have a goo dreason to kill it, generally snakes are beneficial to our environment eating rats, mice and other vermin. Is there a body of water near where you live? You could transport it and release it there - should you successfully capture it to begin with. :o TD

 

[Swampbilly]

You could transport it and release it there - should you successfully capture it to begin with. :o TD

Careful....the cotton mouth is a very aggressive snake.


Regards,

MD

 

[COR]

That snake should be a ballistic report on this site already. Man, snakes just creep me out. I do leave the black ones alone but THAT SNAKE needs dealt with with maximum violence. We will await your photos...may he rest in peace.

 

[Jeepnik]

While I've shot my fair share of snakes, that's only when there's been no other way to deal with them. Year's ago while stationed in the high desert, we used to respond to quite a few "snake" calls. Our armament consisted of a 5 gallon garbage pail and lid & a couple of brooms. We'd just push them towards the pail with a push broom, then sweep them in with regular broom. Close the lid and a quick trip to the outskirts of the base for release.

I'd suggest you contact your local animal control, why mess with it if someone else can. They can grab it rather easily with a snake stick and move it to a less populated area.

As has been mentioned, they do good work. It's only man's primative fear of snakes that causes some peoples revulsion. Mostly they just want to be left alone so they can eat little critters and breed. Same sort of urges most critters have.

 

[BearBio]

A cottonmouth couldn't be gravid (carrying eggs) since they are live-bearers. Snakes are viviperous (live-bearing), oviperous (egg-laying) or ovoviviperous (eggs hatch inside the mother. All pit vipers are live bearing.

 

[2 dogs]

Good Grief. I woulda cracked that nut IMMEDIATELY.....

 

[contender]

That does look like a healthy female cottonmouth. For whatever reason,, many of the Fl adult cottonmouths seem to bulk out in girth,, with shorter lengths. I have seen several of them down there in the swamps that were like that.
Great pic!

 

[caryc]

Damn, I HATE snakes! Slimy creepy critters....even "the good ones".

Typical of all the people that don't know why snakes were put on this earth. They don't like the way they look, so they're "slimy".

Unfortunately many snakes have to die for no good reason other than the "It's a snake....kill it!!!" attitude. I'd much rather have a gopher snake hanging around in my yard than rats or mice. For that matter I'd rather have a gopher snake in my house than a rat.

I see the rattlers in my area from time to time. If they're close to the house, I'll usually heard them into a bucket and relocate them. With a couple people and some common sense they can be herded into a container or like was said, get someone that knows what they're doing.

I like snakes a lot better than rats.

 

[ClemBert]

Lemme do some follow up answers to questions:

1. I live in Orlando. We have a lot of water and wet areas here. If you look at the pics below you can see my backyard and understand why I have cottonmouths living here. There must be hundreds of them back there. I just don't like the idea of this one hanging out in my backyard and not budging a inch when it sees me.

2. Animal control will NOT capture and re-locate snakes here in Orlando. All they will do is IF the snake is in your house they will chase it out of the house for you. They will not even attempt to capture nor re-locate a snake that likes to get in your house.

3. I live in the city limits. It is unlawful to discharge firearms in a neighborhood in the city limits. My best bet is to blast it when someone isn't looking under cover of it being July 4th (sounds like a big firework) and no one being concerned. If I could simply walk outside and blast it I would have done it the first time I saw it.

4. As far as I'm concerned, the snake IS slimmy. Everytime it slithers out of the swamp it is probably covered in wet swamp slime.

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[DeletedMember58]

To he!! with the snake, shoot that 'gator!!!!

 

[Old Judge Creek]

Having spent my youth running through the swamps of the deep south I reckon that if you live in Orlando, you probably know there's no more aggressive venemous reptile in North America than the Cottonmouth Moccassin. It's FAR more dangerous than that "l'il ol' aggilator". And I've had more than my share of run ins with the critters (lotsa stories).

Anyway: I'd have killed that reptile quicker'n I'd stomp on a black widow spider.

Letting either one live any longer than it'd take to kill it is just begging for trouble IMO.

 

[ClemBert]

LOL, the "gator" is a concrete statue. Normally, it isn't underwater. I took that pic last year when tropical storm Fay dropped 2 feet of water in a few days and the water level rose in the backyard.

 

[Jon-m]

I would just leave it be. There's no sense in killing an animal that isn't causing any harm. We see cottonmouths at our home all the time, and have never had a problem with them. We simply take precautions with our dogs, and watch our step when we are walking about.
After all, we are the one encroaching on there habitat, not the other way around. I can't plop my house down smack dab in the middle of snake country and then be mad when I see one in the lawn.

They're unique creatures; I think they deserve respect and caution, but not bullets.

 

[tookalisten]

I side step non-poisonous snakes; in fact, if I see a black snake, I will catch it and release them in the barn.
But, with the kids and dogs around - that big rascal would have to go.

 

[kd4rgwml]

pellet gun! :shock: :shock:

 

[Jimbo357mag]

Personally I think I would go with a shovel. A poisonous snake that big on your property is not good. Chop it's head off or shoot it. Be sure to wear protective clothing when approaching. No flip-flops and shorts.

My wife, coming from a farm, spells the word snake.... H-O-E. :D :D

...Jimbo

 

[caryc]

Any poisonous snake is not a good thing to have around your home especially if you have kids and dogs.

Personally, I relocate them if I can. But there are also differing circumstances on doing this. Depending on how many snakes of this type there are in your immediate area, relocating them may not be the end to the problem. I'm not that adverse to killing a venomous snake if the need arises.

What I am against are those that kill all snakes just for being a snake. Those are the people that are really doing harm.

 

[Sugar River]

A cottonmouth couldn't be gravid (carrying eggs) since they are live-bearers. Snakes are viviperous (live-bearing), oviperous (egg-laying) or ovoviviperous (eggs hatch inside the mother. All pit vipers are live bearing.

I knew they are live bearing, and was using the term in accordance with the OED: "gravid, from OF, an animal or a woman: pregnant, heavy with young."

I see on Wiki there is a biological distinction applying to viviperous vs oviperous, so I stand corrected in this case.

Next time I'll revert to something understandable, like Knocked-up, Preggers, Bun in the oven......whatever.

Pete

 

[contender]

I thought that gator looked funny. It just didn't look quite right to me. And to find out it's concrete,, well, at least I'm not losing my touch about animals,,,,!
Ok,, you live in the city limits. Yes,, your backyard looks a lot like I expected. (I've been in those swamps a bunch.)
You could call a professional critter removal service,, (a shameless plug for my business,) and have the snake removed humanely.

 

[ClemBert]

Well fellas, I went with 3" shotshells with 7 1/2 shot. It only took one shot. Fortunately, there were folks still setting off firecrackers so I took the opportunity to do the deed. This one measured an honest 48" and probably was closer to 49". Apologies to any animal lovers but this one hanging out in the backyard was not the type of wildlife I enjoy watching.

 

[caryc]

No apologies necessary. Sometimes when they insist on being to close to you and family, you don't don't have much choice.

I don't see any damage though. Where did you hit him with that shotshell?

I'd be might leery of picking up a venomous critter that looked in that good of condition.

 

[COR]

Great report and it is great to see that Taurus work in "real life". I'd send that to them...I bet they'd appreciate that. Great shootin'! Now you can make a hatband!

BTW, You did the sensible thing...no apologies necessary.

 

[Cholo]

I don't kill snakes unless they invade my territory. Even then I should probably relocate them. I don't blame you a bit for shooting that Cottonmouth, I'd have done the same thing. Back in '81 when my 1st daughter was born I found 2 baby Copperheads in my backyard. I picked them both up and showed my wife at the time what was crawling around our backyard and to keep our daughter in the front under close supervision. I then dropped them on our driveway and stomped them.

I know a baby poisoness snake is as deadly or moreso than an adult. I also know how to pick up a snake.

I don't fear a snake, but a Cottonmouth just seems different. If I lived in an area that was crawling with them :wink: I might see them as a viable target.

 

[mohavesam]

Ever since I watched a big moccasin come down the bank and into the water after me (after dumping on a ski) I say kill, no hello mr. cottonmouth.
I've seen them drop from trees just to chase a canoe.

Kill 'em and toss 'em back in the bayou. The gators gotta eat, too!

;)

 

[caryc]

Got to thinking about what I said about relocating them instead of killing them. Just about a year ago I was driving out of my place on a dirt road. I got about 500 feet from the house and there was a big rattler stretched out across the road like he wanted to commit suicide.

I stopped the car and got out to shoo him off the road. When I got about 6 or 7 feet from him he pulled back in that "S" curve and started to rattle. I swear, right then a cold chill ran right up my spine. I waited for a few minutes and he quietly went on his way into the bushes.

I don't know as I'd have the nerve to heard one of them critters into a 5 gallon bucket anymore. Maybe it's because I've grown older and a bit wiser since I relocated a couple of them. I also don't drink anymore either and that could have something to do with it. Maybe if I had a a professional snake handling stick with a gripper on the end I might try it, by I don't know.

So, I can certainly understand taking the easy and necessary way out, don't feel bad about it.

 

[ClemBert]

That fella really had some girth on him!

 

[TiteGroups]

When it comes to water moccasins, trying to catch and relocate them is a really bad idea, they are so aggressive they actually will chase after you. Having lived in central Florida my entire life I don't have much fear of gators, guys catch small ones all the time out in the swamps with their hands, but none of them will screw with a water moccasin. Just make sure one doesn't get in the boat with you. If you happen to be new to Florida be careful and make sure you keep your kids away from them. They are not passive like diamondbacks.