Discussion»Questions»Animals (Wild)» The nature of a poisonous snake is to strike/bite/kill. Would you cavort with one in any way close up or at arm's length? Why?
Hah! You're 67 JakobA? I thought you were a lot younger than me. I'm 79 as you probably know. Huh! You're very lively and spritely and sometimes more than challenging and sometimes comforting so I really thought you were younger. A lot of energy there kiddo! Keep it up! Thank you for your reply. Now can you recognize a snake that's benign/fine? How do you identify "poisonous" from a distance? Do you just assume all snakes are deadly and keep your distance just in case? Inquiring minds wanna know! :)
No, i cannot tell by sight whether a given snake is poisonous, I do know a few that are not poisonous; but even if they are not they can still strike and bite. So I just avoid snakes where I can.
I think that's a very good plan. Why take chances? Rattlesnakes are always identifiable because they have an early warning system. It's the silent sneaky ones that catch you off guard. I expect! :)
I'm reminded of a time when I was hiking along a rock face. There was a crevasse in the rocks and a snake was resting there. I took it to mind to go pet this snake. As I reached in to the crevasse it lifted a coil and shook its rattle. This is how a snake says, "I do not wish to be petted."
Oh my gosh whistle! A close encounter with a rattlesnake? Oh my gosh. It's really good that you got a warning. Oh my gosh. What you wrote gave me the shivers. Thank you for your reply and Happy Wednesday!
One time a huge diamondback rattlesnake showed up in my backyard while the dogs were out there doing their peeps and poops. I had to get my stepdad to distract it while I rounded up the dogs and took them around to the front. He just stood there with a big stick so it would be too busy rattling at him then he backed off and left it alone when the dogs were in the house. Then we called some snake dude that captures snakes and milks them for their venom and releases them in a more remote area so that everyone could live happily ever after.
What a happy ending! Nothing died! I like happy endings Patch. I like it when everyone/everything wins! Thank you for sharing that with us and Happy Wednesday! Do you live in a wilderness area or near a forest or some woods? The only snakes I've ever seen were in zoos. Or in the movies. I think I'd just freeze and panic. You showed good presence of mind. I don't know that I would have reacted as calmly as you. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have! :(
Yeah, we live in a wood/swampland. Lots of venomous snakes around here. I'd rather not kill them though. They use the venom they milk to make anti-venom, I think. I mostly see water moccasins, but occasionally there's a rattlesnake and lots of harmless black snakes.
You are brave Patch. Undoubtedly you are also careful/aware 24/7. It's probably very lovely where you live. We always pay a price for everything in life it seems. Don't we? Thank you for your additional comment! :)
Benedict Arnold 