Your friendly neighborhood copperhead (not the igniter-----er.... starter kind)

Saw this little guy (guessing about 18-24 inches) in the grass, he hopped (okay, rapidly slithered) into the lake, but seemed a bit curious about me so I had a moment to get the camera out.)
May main concern is Lucy the wonderful (but not necessarily intellectual) Lab that walks with me around the lake.

Ya know those times when people tell you, "It's more frightened of you than you are of it". Yeah! Right!

I realize that they have their place, just so long as it isn't anywhere near mine.

K'Tesh said:

Ya know those times when people tell you, "It's more frightened of you than you are of it". Yeah! Right!

I realize that they have their place, just so long as it isn't anywhere near mine.

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Well your in luck there Jim, no Copperheads in Oregon (way to many Crapperheads though in the hobby shops still)

I like snakes. Just don't step on them. If they know you're coming, they'll try to get out of your way. Seen a nice false coral snake (red/black friend of Jack, red/yellow kill a fellow) one time. Very pretty. I was digging in the garden one time and turned around and there was this what I believed was a black rat snake, uncoiled, thigh high looking me over. I stepped closer and it was totally calm. Found it hard to believe it was sizing me up for a meal. I grabbed it behind the head and he/she stayed remarkably calm. Coiled around my arm and took 'em inside to show the wife. She (the wife) really didn't appreciate that so I went back outside and release the snake into a grassy field. At no time did it show any aggressive behavior. If I would have had a large terrarium, I would of acquired it as a pet. Anyhow, I've had garter snakes get trapped inside a shed and those little buggers coil to strike and hiss very loudly. I usually grab a garden rake and gently guide them to the way out. They keep the vermin population in check so I don't respond in a violent fashion. Oh, my wife eventually got used to snakes in the garden and on the front porch when sunning themselves. We just stepped around them and they never we're aggressive. Kurt

Three types of snakes I hate: Live ones, Dead ones and Fake ones. But they do serve a purpose so unless they are messing with me they get left alone.

Is that a copper head? Can't see In the picture very well but the pattern looks different.

We get Mojave Green rattlesnakes. I had one actually chase me instead of trying to get away.

RAHagen said:

Is that a copper head? Can't see In the picture very well but the pattern looks different.

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I am starting to wonder myself with a little research. there is a northern water snake (not that Tennessee is by any stretch of the imagination "northern" [unless you live in Mississippi or Georgia or Alabama, I guess] but it is common in Tennessee ) that looks a lot like this.
I stumbled across this snake again (or it's twin) today, but we startled each other and it took off before I could get a good look at it. Seems to really like the water on the side of the lake opposite from my house (a GOOD thing, if it is a copperhead!) Differences between the water snake and copperhead: copperhead has triangular head, slightly different markings, vertical pupils, and "pits" (hence the term "pit viper.") Maybe tomorrow I'll forgo the fishing pole and pay more attention to water in front of me as I move along. This snake definitely has shown no signs of aggression, although that doesn't distinguish poisonous from non.

There are not the copperheads you are looking for.

BABAR said:

I am starting to wonder myself with a little research. there is a northern water snake (not that Tennessee is by any stretch of the imagination "northern" [unless you live in Mississippi or Georgia or Alabama, I guess] but it is common in Tennessee ) that looks a lot like this.
I stumbled across this snake again (or it's twin) today, but we startled each other and it took off before I could get a good look at it. Seems to really like the water on the side of the lake opposite from my house (a GOOD thing, if it is a copperhead!) Differences between the water snake and copperhead: copperhead has triangular head, slightly different markings, vertical pupils, and "pits" (hence the term "pit viper.") Maybe tomorrow I'll forgo the fishing pole and pay more attention to water in front of me as I move along. This snake definitely has shown no signs of aggression, although that doesn't distinguish poisonous from non.

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Do you guys have cotton mouths up there? We have them down here in Texas. I saw a few at the pond at our old house.

Just found this online.

RAHagen said:

Do you guys have cotton mouths up there? We have them down here in Texas. I saw a few at the pond at our old house.

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Good ole Cotton Mouths/Water Moccasin a snake with a nastier attitude have I ever met, you definitely don't just walk past one of them. They like to get up close and un-friendly.

This looks to me like a Northern Water Snake or a Banded Water Snake. In most areas where their ranges overlap, there can be interbreeding of the two. So take your pick. If this was a Copperhead, it would have its head high out of the water and would be swimming in pulse-like motions. A water snake will seem to glide effortlessly through the water with his head low to the surface.

Here is a Copperhead and a Water Snake swimming....






Dennis

The scales on the belly and the nostrils will tell the real story- a copper head will have a single row of scales on the belly side and the water snake has two rows side by side. The nostrils will be 2 on each side of the head on the CH as well . We have Water Moccasins , by far one of the most aggressive guys around, they would just assume chase and bite ya than run. Gotta be mindful this time of year around ponds and pools down here this time of year. Used to clean pools many moons ago down here, had a cust that had black tile around the pool next to a natural lake. MORE than once I have had a WM try and come right up the tile brush pole while cleaning, you damn near cant toss the brush and dodge the strike fast enough :eyepop: