Snake encounters

[Biggrizzly]

I have lived in Chesapeake Beach for about five years now and I thought I'd see more snakes as my property backs up to the large wetland that borders Fishing Creek as it flows into the bay. In the five years living there I have only seen a couple snakes ever in my yard and none yet along the creek. I know they got to be there but I haven't seen any yet. I hope they stay out of sight!!

[Memory Maker]

I have lived in Chesapeake Beach for about five years now and I thought I'd see more snakes as my property backs up to the large wetland that borders Fishing Creek as it flows into the bay. In the five years living there I have only seen a couple snakes ever in my yard and none yet along the creek. I know they got to be there but I haven't seen any yet. I hope they stay out of sight!!

Yeah ........ well just take that trail at the state park through the woods and down to the bay ........ you walk right next to a swamp that is crawling with snakes ........ bigguns ........

[john from md]

The water snakes that you see around the Annapolis area are not poisonous. If memory serves, a DNR biologist told me they were a Northern water snake.

I keep several around the house to keep the varmint population down. I have found yellow belly racer, Black rat snake and Brown king snake. They live in the garage wood pile and in the yard wood pile. The Black Rat Snake hunts in the gutters and it is not unusual to have him coming down as you are walking out the front door. My wife only exits from the garage now.

[jet]

[DaveFX35]

I'll clear a few things up for everyone; Water Moccasins aka Cotton Mouths are not in Maryland. Closest they are would be southern Virginia down the east coast to Florida. The winters are too cold for them to survive in MD.

Copperheads are found throughout Maryland but not as common in suburban areas like lake Centennial. They are more frequently found in Northern/Western Maryland. Also very shy the will avoid human contact. I have ran into common water snakes at lake Centennial while fishing from the shore. They do look similar.

[Biggrizzly]

Yeah ........ well just take that trail at the state park through the woods and down to the bay ........ you walk right next to a swamp that is crawling with snakes ........ bigguns ........

I'll have to be more observant! - I have photographed that little spit a few times without seeing any slithering serpants. My wife walks that boardwalk quite bit and if she knew there was a snake pit just a hundred yards from the end of the walk she'd never venture back.

[PudgyPrawn]

DSMero,
I would be overjoyed to know that as a certianty. I admit, I am not a snake guy at all. I only know that if they have diamond shaped heads and slit eyes they are poisonous. Truth is I never plan to get that close to see their eyes.

Next time I do see a snake I believe to be a viper or it's ilk I will take a photo if possible and ask around. Sorry if I might have caused any un necessary fear.

Regardless, thanks for the peace of mind.
PP

[Rockchaser]

I haven't had any snakes try and get into my yak but at last years meeet and greet at Mattawomen a beaver tried to climb into my friends yak. It was after dark and he was screaming like a Pink Dressed Little Girl.
All I could do was laugh until it started my way. Then it was time to move on.

[tufnik]

Here's my first encounter with a snake while yak fishing. It was last year at Mattawoman. I don't know what kind of snake it was, but it was fun watching it attack the frog.

[Crabcakes]

DSMero,
I would be overjoyed to know that as a certianty. I admit, I am not a snake guy at all. I only know that if they have diamond shaped heads and slit eyes they are poisonous. Truth is I never plan to get that close to see their eyes.

Next time I do see a snake I believe to be a viper or it's ilk I will take a photo if possible and ask around. Sorry if I might have caused any un necessary fear.

Regardless, thanks for the peace of mind.
PP

From everything I have read it is absolutely a certainty that there are no cottonmouths in Maryland. There are a few kinds of water snakes in Maryland and they are mean and nasty but not cottonmouths.

Many water snakes try to look or act like cottonmouths to avoid being eaten by predators. E

There are only 4 groups of venomous snakes in the US- Cottonmouths, Copperheads, Rattlesnakes and coral snakes.

Maryland has copperheads and timber rattlers though both are primarily in northern/western maryland.

http://www.dnr.state.md.us/wildlife/...fe/vsnakes.asp

[Southerly]

i once found myself at near-dark wading barefoot through shin-deep water absolutely seething with snakes. it was an unusual high flood tide and apparently all the snakes had evacuated their rip-rap shoreline hidey holes and were sort of hanging out in the grass where i was wading toward (and away ) from shore.

i can't tell you how creeped out i got when i saw one, then focused in and saw 4-5 near him, then saw there were literally hundreds all around me. it was like a nightmare, but i have 2 witnesses that it's true. one witness is my daughter who was riding on my shoulders at the time.

[DOGFISH]

Yeah, Yeah, you all sound like you may be exaggerating the size of those snakes.