Snakes and bears Oh no........... So I got out the box cutter

Florida snake season !!@! Have only seen blk. here SO far damn moles suck for what its worth

rsv1cox wrote:I was actually digging up buried rope when a Scarlet snake slithered across my shoe.  Red touch yellow kill a fellow, red touch black friend to Jack flashed through my mind.

I quickly checked for the black nose of a Coral snake.  


Bob

Yeah, I always look too. The way I learned it was, "Red touch yellow, kill a fellow. Red touch black, venom lack."

But aren't bears soft, cute, and cuddly?

NEW222 wrote:But aren't bears soft, cute, and cuddly?

Bye bye digits

I am very pleased to see some snake lovers on here. In my area most people kill before taking stock of what they are doing. We have 3 poisonous snakes where I am and they are not prevalent. Unfortunately every snake becomes poisonous out of fear and a lot of really important species get done in.

I enjoy my snakes and welcome them in and around my property. I will kill a copperhead or a moccasin if required the rest have a free run of my property.


Ron

Any snakes around our parts are deadly. None of these wimpy colourful harmless types out here. Grew up on a farm and my dad always taught us the only good snake was a dead snake. That's 'cos with Tiger snakes, Copper heads, Black snakes, ya gotta get them before they get you. I can see that pythons and the like are pretty much harmless, but they still make my skin crawl. Got too close to too many snakes in my younger days. Hay season/harvest always threw in a few scary moments. Several times we managed to squish a snake into a hay bale. Gives you a bit of a fright when you go to load the bale. Also, as kids, it was our job to run around and straighten up the bales for the loader on the truck following. Was pretty common to shift a bale and find a snake hiding underneath. My sister (at about 12) stood on one once. That feeling of shock never leaves you.

I with Ron , but i was taught if it had a diamond shape head it was posiniss . Don't know the color thing and to bee honest never heard it till now , but thats cool i learn me something . Must bee some Aussies around here cause some people say the same thin Rod (only good snake is a dead snake) We do need them though!

I have had to relocate snakes on ocassion. Most snakes in Ohio are harmless....but not all. I get black racers, garter, and tiny worm snakes often enough. I like them overall. There are also copperheads and two types of rattlers, but I have never encountered them on my property.

Most non-venomous snake have oval heads, and most venomous snakes have triangular or arrow shaped heads.

If a snake is on the move with authority they are not going to attack if you leave them alone. It is when they are mostly stationary there may be a problem.

Phil

Looks like mother nature is recapturing my country Hungary as well: until about 5 years ago wolves and bear had been extinct here. Nowadays more and more wolf pack sightings are reported in our Northern "mountains" (peak elevation about 3000 feet) and bears are also wandering into Hungary  accross our border with Slovakia. Our Eastern neighbor Roumania reports  frequent bear attacks on humans and cattle and authorities have lifted hunting bans. As we change the ecosystem here these poor animals are exiled from their habitat and they desperately try to find food in dangerous vicinity to our quarters.

rsv1cox wrote:
Australia has the worlds mostly deadly snakes. Spiders too.

Correct, and I'm still going to stay mighty wary of them. I'm not going to hang around working out which one's dagerous and which one's friendly. Davenz has it good. No snakes in New Zealand at all, friendly or nasty.

We do have a Cox connection with one of our most common nasties. Our very common and toxic Red Back Spider is what you probably know as a Black Widow. Hey, maybe Bernie could do a special run of Red Back engines??

Rod.

Have been reading posts but unable to comment due to infected hand which swelled up on Friday and ended up looking like a boxing glove with fingers. Trip to the doc’s for some anti-biotics and a couple of days rest and it’s slowing returning to normal.

We do have a couple of snakes considered native to New Zealand but only due to a technicality.
Here’s an excerpt from the Dept of Conservation

Though sea snakes and kraits are occasional visitors to New Zealand’s waters, they are considered a native species under the Wildlife Act 1953. This is because they arrive here naturally from time to time on ocean currents (rather than by human transportation).
It is therefore illegal to kill or harass a sea snake, or possess one or any part of one without a permit.
Sea snakes and kraits are highly venomous but, as they are docile creatures, there is no record of anyone in New Zealand being bitten. Nevertheless, if you find a sea snake or krait keep well away and call 0800 DOC HOT.

Yellow-bellied sea snakes
Around 6 to 10 yellow-bellied sea snakes are sighted each year, mostly around the north east coast of the North Island, though they have been discovered as far south as Cook Strait.
Beached yellow-bellied sea snakes will almost certainly be dead or dying, as they are entirely pelagic (they cannot live on land). They breed in the tropics and spend a large amount of their lives drifting on the ocean currents.
They can dive up to 50 m for 3-4 hours, depending on the temperature of the water, and feed on small fishes.



I think this is where pirates got their saying from “O’Arrr you yellow bellied Sea Snake”

Sea kraits

Unlike sea snakes, sea kraits spend part of their time on land, drinking fresh water and laying their eggs there.
Two species of sea krait occasionally visit New Zealand waters – the banded sea krait and Saint Giron’s sea krait.
They are likely to be accidental visitors as New Zealand is outside their normal (tropical) range. They are found abundantly in the reef systems around Papua New Guinea and New Caledonia, and their usual prey is eels.



Slightly more dangerous than beer kraits.

When I was doing a lot of diving up North back in the eighties, I was warned about them and told to give any of them a wide berth. No argument from me. Never saw any though.
Had just got out of the water once and was taking my tank off when about an 8ft Hammerhead swam alongside the boat checking it out. shiver

I bet I have learned more on CEF since I became a member than any other source of stuff I surf around on...

That's some interesting stuff about the snakes you do have there

Oldenginerod wrote:
No snakes in New Zealand at all, friendly or nasty.  

Well in the water doesn't count