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I read this thread and had to laugh a little. I am in the Sandhills. We have copperheads, cottonmouths, pigmy and timber rattlers. Rattlers are rarely spotted but the cottonmouths and copperheads are fairly commonplace. That said we have a snake that tends to reside in our well house. We call him George. He's a very large Eastern Black Kingsnake. The NC wildlife website states that they only grow to 9 feet but George beats that by 5 feet. He's quite docile and has occasionally allowed me to pet him. He's about as big around as a 4" drain pipe with a head about the size of a man's fist. Some of you may be wondering why anyone in their right mind would allow a snake that large to remain living on their property. Well, he's not poisonous. He's a constrictor. He eats moles, voles, mice, rats, rodents and, here's the big one, other snakes! Including poisonous snakes. See, kingsnakes are immune to snake venom. We've never seen a poisonous snake on the farm in over 20 years! Seen a few other black kingsnakes, a couple corn snakes (also in the kingsnake family) and a coachwhip. All non poisonous. Not all snakes are dangerous. Some are actually beneficial to have around.
I am irrationally afraid of snakes, but I can say that I do not kill them, just move them on their way.
Having said that, I read a report several years ago, that stated without snakes, in only a year or two, we would be a foot deep in rodents, world wide. I do not know how accurate that is/was, but it resonated with me.
I am pretty shocked at how much misinformation, even at this day and age, is spread about snakes. Corn snakes are members of the rat snake family, not king snakes. There is no snake in this country larger than 8.5 feet. Most copperhead sightings are actually water snakes, corn snakes, or milk snakes. How do I know this? Most of the time somebody says they saw a copperhead, they say they saw it by the water. Well, copperheads generally don't hang out near water. It was most likely a water snake, which also has a triangle head, and brown and/or orange bands.
"I saw a baby copperhead on my porch." Did it have a bright, yellow tail? No? Then it wasn't a copperhead. I have looked for and caught snakes my entire life and have NEVER seen a copperhead. Then why do 9 out of ten people i talk to or read about in blogs say they saw a copperhead "the other day". You would think all snakes are copperheads, not just a very small percentage of all snakes (which is reality). I actually saw a teenager the other day that said he saw a copperhead. I asked what color it was. He said black. Seriously? People, please when you see a snake- google "snakes" plus the state you live in. Chances are there is a descriptive site telling you exactly what type of snake you saw. And please, just remember, if you kill a milk snake because you thought it was a copperhead, you just killed a harmless snake that eats rodents and poisonous snakes (as the milk snake is indeed a member of the king snake family).
Please- a little bit of knowledge goes a long way...
But copperheads aren't the ones to worry about, at least in eastern NC, it's the water moccasin aka cottonmouth. Still not a serious threat if you have any common sense.
I have looked for and caught snakes my entire life and have NEVER seen a copperhead.
Really? I mean, I really do see them all the time in the summer. Each of my dogs has been bitten by copperheads in the backyard. I know several people who have been bitten as well. I have seen the babies with the bright yellow tails. I have seen copperheads warming themselves in the middle of the road. They're really very common in the Piedmont. I find it hard to believe that anyone in this part of the state who actually looks for snakes would have never seen one. I certainly am not actively looking for them — more looking out to stay away from them. Maybe they're just not common in your part of the state, but I always expect to see several per summer. I am well acquainted with the difference between a copperhead, corn snakes and a Northern Water Snake (have those in the creek in the park near my house).
We've got plenty of black snakes, too. I don't think I've ever seen a rattler, but they are not common in the Piedmont. My spouse and older daughter have each seen them in the mountains. I'm sure I've seen water moccasins/cottonmouths as I grew up in SE NC, but it's been a long time. In summer camp we used to go for "swamp walks" and our camp director was a snake guy and he would collect the snakes as we walked along, grabbing them behind the neck and putting them in a sack. He displayed them in the dining hall in aquarium habitats. I've seen cute little garter snakes, and little rough green snakes, tiny worm snakes, as well.
You are correct. Dr Mike Dorcas at the Davidson Herp lab is the man.
Used to live in a subdivision near Charlotte. As soon as it got the least bit cool, the copperheads would descend on the paved roads in the evening, to gather warmth.
This was prime "walk around the neighborhood" weather and I used to warn folks, all the time, to be very careful.
More than one person stopped me, probably five or so, and thanked me for the warning, since they had come very close to meeting Mr Copper Dopper up close and personal.
Be careful, and watch out for those babies...they bite first and ask questions secondly.
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Snake Knowledge
