Thanks, Equus. Good snake posters?

[katarine]

This month's Equus features two stories of horses in Alabama going to Auburn in response to snake bites. One on the Tombigbee got nailed on both right legs, another a small pony who was struck by who knows what. While the article does have some good pics, some of them aren't plain enough (like the cottonmouth pics). Does anyone have a good source for a snake poster to hang in the tack room? I'm twitchy now just thinking about it!

[PRS]

http://www.trailquest.net/SNpoi.html

[wsmoak]

Google turned up... http://ifasbooks.ufl.edu/p-442-venom...st-poster.aspx

I've used this website to identify many of the creatures we've seen since we arrived in Georgia: http://www.uga.edu/srelherp/snakes/index.htm (other pages for lizards, etc.)

[kinnip]

I just scream until someone else comes and has a look.

[Bluey]

That was an interesting article.

This rattler was here, saturday evening, right by the living room door to the yard under the porch, about to get on the porch.
Warning for the snakephobics, rattler here:

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a2...g?t=1283287999

We live here playing russian roulette with rattlers.
We have been lucky our horses have been mostly smart and lucky enough to stay away from snakes, but a few were bitten.

We used to keep anti-venom around, but it is so scarce now, no one can get it but hospitals.

[katarine]

I'm mostly spooked about cottonmouths. We have a good sized pond on the property, and that's the only bad snake we've seen, ever. Not often, but (shudder).

thanks for the links, all!

[SGray]

if you go to the 'why they spook at logs' thread there are oodles of excellent pictures of snakes courtesy of 2Jakes

[Zu Zu]

I hate snakes and snakes ~~~~~EEEEEEWWWWWW

[CatOnLap]

I hate snakes and snakes ~~~~~EEEEEEWWWWWW

Yes dear, we all know by now. There there, take a valium and have a cup of jungles. jingles. whatever.

[jeano]

http://www.gon.com/article.php?id=24...=articleimages

This itty bitty snake was only four counties away from me....

Biggest 'un we've had here on the place (a canebrake (timber) rattler, as opposed to the crafty eastern diamondback) was only about five feet long.

The water moccasin I almost stepped on (got a great closeup view of why they're called cottonmouths) was probably close to six foot, and girthy as well. I really dont mind snakes but that thing was nasty.

I think I like the rattlers best, they are polite enough to let you know you're fixing to get in trouble. I will herd the baby copperheads off the front porch. But that cottonmouth---they eat carrion and anything they can find and their bite in addition to being venomous is septic from the filth. They are just gross.

[pAin't_Misbehavin']

I'm mostly spooked about cottonmouths. We have a good sized pond on the property, and that's the only bad snake we've seen, ever. Not often, but (shudder).

thanks for the links, all!

I have trouble telling cottonmouths from other watersnakes. They're all muddy-colored and nasty-tempered.

I understand the venomous kind have keeled scales and elliptical pupils, but given their apparent need for about a meter's worth of personal space, I've never found the above terribly helpful when trying to identify them in the field.

Maybe 2Jakes will come along and give those of us in swamp country the Cliffs Notes to telling the difference?

[hitchinmygetalong]

http://www.gon.com/article.php?id=24...=articleimages

This itty bitty snake was only four counties away from me....

Wow. Just... wow.

But I have to say, I had a pang of sadness when I read this:

Conrad said the snake didn’t even rattle. It merely lifted its head up above the grass, surveyed the scene and tried to slither away. But it didn’t make it far. Conrad popped it with the .44 mag he carries for such occasions.

Though I am SURE that if that snake poked its head above the grass and looked me in the eye I'd probably do the same thing.

[leilatigress]

Your state's visitor center will usually have posters with all the lovely critters on it. Texas has a few since I am convinced everything that might try to kill you with fang or poison resides here. We even have one for the Gulf where all the lovely sharks live.
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/learning...s/poster.phtml
http://www.allposters.com/-sp/Snakes...s_i119047_.htm
I love ALL posters lots of posters and reasonably priced.

[grayarabpony]

Some basic good guidelines: http://www.wikihow.com/Identify-a-Venomous-Snake

We have many snakes on our farm, mostly Black Rat Snakes and water snakes. Of course little green ones too, which are quite beautiful. Many King Snakes too.

The only Copperhead I've identified for sure was a foot-longth one in the hay shelter rafters. Since our shelter roof is low I thought it a good idea to move him, using a broom handle. It struck at the broom handle a few times and then grudingly left.

Thankfully I haven't seen any Cottonmouths here. They are slow to move out of the way and will gape to show their fangs. They will also vibrate their tails. Otherwise they look quite nondescript and like many other snakes.

A video showing defensive behaviors of a Cottonmouth: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-ZdE...eature=related (apparently no one was harmed in the making of or after the video).

[Donkaloosa]

A relatively short, fat snake with a pyramid is a copperhead. They are *relatively * harmless --- not so dangerous as a rattlesnake. I remember seeing a fat little copperhead on a trail ride one day who had just shed his skin, and his colors and pattern were amazing! But of course, they get dark, dirty, and muddy-looking in no time.

I've seen eastern diamondbacks while walking in local parks --- that just makes my day, NOT!

Having a good idea of what the poisonous varieties around you look like is a good idea --- if you can stand the gross factor of looking at the snake pictures!

[summerhorse]

Wow. Just... wow.

But I have to say, I had a pang of sadness when I read this:



Though I am SURE that if that snake poked its head above the grass and looked me in the eye I'd probably do the same thing.

They were out on a hunting lease, all they had to do was walk away a few feet and the snake would have vamoosed. I don't know why everyone has to kill them.

Most snake bites are to young men who picked up the snake. Alcohol is usually involved.

[devcubber]

contact your....

local state's Department of Conservation. They usually have posters or cheapo guide books on identification of poisonous and non-poisonous species for your state and all its regions (cause sometimes snakes like to look different north to south in a single species, in a single state).

hey look! I'm actually using my degree in Herpetology! And as a bleeding-heart herp lover, please id before you kill....non-poisonous snakes are just that, and while their bite may hurt they won't hurt you mortally! Just mice, bugs, other critters....things you don't want in your barn anyway!

[jeano]

All the pit vipers (which includes cottonmouths, rattlesnakes, and rattlers) have wedge shaped heads. Harmless snakes (with the exception of the coral snake, they arent pit vipers but they are venomous) have heads approximately the same diameter as their necks, or, you could say that its hard to tell where the neck starts and the head stops. The first cottonmouth I ever saw was in a cypress swamp in southern Illinois, of all places. Your harmless watersnakes dont look that much like a pit viper.

I dont ever kill snakes or wish them any harm, but Mr Jeano has declared a kill zone for venomous snakes within roughly twenty yards of the house. We dont go after them. After all, they were here first. My pet peeve is rat snakes and king snakes, they would be welcome guests if they'd leave baby chickens alone but they wont. They get relocated everytime we catch them, usually after they've sucked down a few eggs or chicks. I wouldnt mind if they'd just eat the ones they can swallow, but the young and cocky snakes will constrict and kill and try to ingest half grown chickens and kill a bunch of them before they give up. Then you find poor chickies with their little lifeless heads all wet with snake spit. Very sad.

[MLD]

I hate snakes and snakes ~~~~~EEEEEEWWWWWW

THIS!!!!