Eastern Mud Snake

Description:

One of the most docile snakes out there. The Eastern Mud Snake has a beautiful red and black checkerboard underbelly with a completely smooth and shiny black back. Mud snakes refuse to bite humans, but will repeatedly poke you with their spiky tail which does not hurt at all. They are entirely non-venomous snakes. Very secretive, primarily nocturnal and living in swamps make this one of the rarest snakes to encounter people. However, this is the very species that gave rise to the famous "Hoop Snake" myth.

Habitat:

Wetlands and swamp near a mixed forest.

Notes:

Entirely a fable of course, but sightings of hoop snakes have been reported since colonial times in North America. This snake grasps its tail in its mouth and rolls after its prey, thereby achieving great speed, especially when going downhill. At the tip of its tail is a highly venomous stinger. The snake straightens out at the last second, skewering its victim with its venomous tail. The only escape is to hide behind a tree, which receives the deadly blow instead and promptly dies from the poison. The hoop snake myth is one of the most persistent myths in the United States and even appeared in Pecos Bill stories. If you should encounter a hoop snake in the wild, legend has it, the best defense is to run as fast as you can and hope to find a fence to leap over. The hoop snake will have to uncoil to get through the fence, thereby slowing it down. Some have reported that diving through the hoop of the snake will cause it to run away. See this full article at http://blog.al.com/strange-alabama/2012/...