Friday, April 10, 2009

Peekaboo



I didn't get a better photo before he noticed us. He slithered away so fast I could hardly believe it.

I am really, really glad that venomous snakes don't tend to move that fast, or at least, not that fast towards you. (I have seen Copperheads move fairly quickly, but away.)

Anyway, this is a Water Snake, I think the Brown Water Snake (Nerodia taxispilota).

They supposedly have poor dispositions (they'll bite if you pick them up), but if you ask me, any snake that runs away from me has a disposition that I enjoy.

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Submitted to the Friday Ark.

14 comments:

Gail said...

I've seen the venomous snakes in the garden but not recently...I am thankful for that! Glad it slithered away quickly but not before you caught the photo! gail

Dirt Princess said...

ooooooohhhhhhhh! Makes my skin crawl!

CatHerder said...

Very pretty!

Victoria Williams said...

Snakes are rather attractive things, aren't they? But I really don't want to be touching them in my garden.

Craig Glenn said...

You sure that's not a water moccasin? Sure looks like a diamond shaped head to me...

Careful,
Craig Glenn

Phillip Oliver said...

Oh lord, that would be giving me a stroke! Yikes!

Anonymous said...

I'm with Craig Glenn on this one...take care, is right!

swamp4me said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Pamela said...

I think they can strike quickly, tho. We only have rattlesnakes in our area. I've only seen four or five when I've been out walking or camping. Hearing a rattle really gives me the willies.

Pretty photo by the way

Rurality said...

Gail, it scared the crap out of me when it left so quickly!

DP, it was fine when it was being still...

CH, yes I agree. :)

K & V, this one was down by the creek - I only mind them when they're trying to get inside!

CG, yeah, you can see the eyes from above, so that means it's not a Moc. They do resemble them, though, and their heads are more triangle-ish than most non-venomous snakes.

Phillip, all I could think was, if rattlers moved that fast *towards* me, I'd be dead!

Anon, I do, I promise. :)

Pamela, I've only heard that rattle once, and it was at our old house in the suburbs. It was a lot louder than I would have expected.

lisa said...

Gladly he did run away, cuz' my experiences with water snakes has always been contentious to say the least. They bite readily, emit very foul-smelling pee (or something :(, and even chase you down to be aggressive! Sure, the fangs aren't very big, but that doesn't really help, y'know?

KFarmer said...

Thank goodness you saw him/her. I would have sworn by the shape of its head it was a poisonous snake.

Unknown said...

I'm sorry for the shameless plug, but I recently posted a blog about how to tell the difference between a cottonmouth and non-venomous water snakes.
http://davidasteen.blogspot.com/2009/04/case-of-mistaken-identity-part-i.html

Rurality said...

Lisa, I guess I'm lucky that this one wanted nothing to do with me!

KF, I thought so too at first. I haven't actually seen Cottonmouths here, but people tell me that they are in the area.

David, thanks, no problem! I wish I could comment on your blog, but it just won't let me.