The quality was chewed up and spat back out by the Scratch cat but oh well We found 7 snakes, including 4 venomous ones! My dad and I have been herping recently (looking for reptiles and amphibians) and we especially love snakes!! Because of the large number of snakes, they will be condensed to each species in the order that we found them. We were at a national park with a boardwalk so we weren’t close to any of them except the Cottonmouth, but we were still several feet away and not in danger! EASTERN COPPERHEAD Agkistrodon contortrix June 19, 2024 at 9:34 am While walking on the high boardwalk, we spotted this venomous Copperhead below. We were in no danger so we were able to observe and photograph the snake in peace. It was definitely one of the prettiest snakes we’ve found! They are often referred to as “beginner” pet venomous snakes due to their low toxicity and docile temperament. Identification: - Hershey-kiss bands - solid brown head with only 2 black dots - thin neck and thick body Read more about them at: https://scparc.org/snakes-of-south-carolina/eastern-copperhead/ PLAIN-BELLIED WATERSNAKES Nerodia erythrogaster 6/19/24 at 10:06 am and 12:24 pm 1st Snake: After the Copperhead, we found this guy soaking in the sun near a creek. It was moving strangely, it was twitching and looked very uncomfortable. We aren’t sure why but it was likely in ants or something, because it stopped once it moved away. This snake had a gorgeous red throat and a very cute face. 2nd Snake: This snake was found much further down the boardwalk in an area named “Cottonmouth Valley” according to a volunteer park ranger we met. This guy was swimming around, occasionally poking its head out. Its’ blue eyes show it’s shedding soon. In this state, snakes are blind and therefore much more defensive. It’s always best to leave any snake like this alone unless you know it very well. This one just ignored us. Identification: - Solid brown dorsal color - Red, unpatterned underside - striped lips Read more at: https://scparc.org/snakes-of-south-carolina/plain-bellied-watersnake/ NORTHERN COTTONMOUTH Agkistrodon piscivorus 6/19/24 at 10:24 am and 12:40 1st snake: In a creek only a few feet away from the first Plain-bellied Watersnake, we found this beauty swimming away. It was likely fishing. It ignored us and disappeared in an overgrown area of the creek upstream. 2nd Snake: Much further down the boardwalk in Cottonmouth Valley, we found this little guy curled up right next to the bridge. Despite our proximity and several people stopping to watch, the snake ignored us, only shifting its position a few times. 3rd Snake: This one was only a few feet away from the 2nd Cottonmouth, but it was behind a root so we couldn’t get a great look. This one’s patterns were much clearer, so it was likely younger than the 2nd Cottonmouth we found. Despite their “aggressive” reputation, not a single Cottonmouth even displayed their namesake white mouths. They were all beautiful and we were able to get some great photographs. We were a safe distance from all these snakes. Identification: - Jagged rectangles/triangles with a spot in each - Thick, dark line through eye - Unpatterned lip - Thin neck and thick body Read more at: https://scparc.org/snakes-of-south-carolina/northern-cottonmouth/ SOUTHERN WATERSNAKE Nerodia fasciata 6/19/24 at 12:04 pm On the opposite side of the bridge from the 2 Cottonmouths and Plain-belly, we found this gorgeous little guy swimming in the roots of a tree. It froze for a while, but eventually gave up and slowly dipped underwater. Identification: - Dark dorsal with faint patterns - Mottled underside - Striped lips Read more at: https://scparc.org/snakes-of-south-carolina/southern-watersnake/ We will definitely be back sometime, there were a LOT of snakes just sitting in the open! Without these snakes, there would be more rats and mice, more disease, damaged crops, and an unbalanced ecosystem. Some like Copperheads are even being used to battle cancer! Next time you spot a snake, maybe you can watch it from a distance as it goes about its life, keeping your backyard free of pests. Let us know if you have any questions, advice, stories, or ID requests!
All the photographs were taken by me and my dad!!!! Also how do I make scratch cat go away :(
