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Project Noah Nature School
Agkistrodon piscivorus
We encountered this young cottonmouth whilst snake hunting on the Bicentennial trail in TN. We were a small group including a herpetologist and a couple of others who are trained & experienced in dealing with venomous snakes. This individual was captured temporarily & transported about a mile along the trail so the rest of the group could see & document it. It was then manipulated with a snake hook so that it didn't escape to enable us to photograph it. After about 20 minutes it was replaced in the bag & transported back to the spot where it was found & released safely & unharmed. Despite being captured & messed with, this snake made no attempt at all to strike - it was totally unaggressive & only wanted to put as much distance as it could from us. Sadly many cottonmouths & other snakes are deliberately killed every year on the trail, in their own habitat, for no reason except they are snakes.
Spotted on Sep 23, 2012
Submitted on Sep 24, 2012
4 Comments
Very true! Thanks for pointing that out Jeff!
LOL true. The snake was also banged around in Warren's bag due to Warren having trouble trying to carry the bag while riding his bike. I'm sure the snake became disorientated lol. Other than all that you and I mentioned, This snake was NOT harmed lol.
I feel more sorry for the snake Jeff! Poor thing was kidnapped, forced to share a backpack with Warren's lunch, subjected to a cycle ride, unceremoniously dumped on the trail, then messed with for half an hour before being re "bagged" & transported back to where you found him!
This snake was a few inches away from my foot when I spotted it. It never once showed aggression towards me. It seemed much more curious than anything else. I'm with you Karen about people killing these snakes and others just because! Unfortunately for us and the snakes, We won't change most peoples views who "fear" what they don't understand. Most people who get bitten are bitten because they were trying to kill the snakes or were not experienced in handling them. Others are accidentally bitten due to venturing off of the trails, Stepping near the snakes or on them. I feel bad for Warren, He didn't get to eat his apple lol:)