Lake Travis
I grew up in Texas and have been to and in Lake Travis many times. Have never seen a single cottonmouth/water moc in the water there.
Rattlesnakes
Rattlesnakes also swim. Thought I’d give you something else to worry about. Some snakes even swim underwater and prey on fish. Love them snakes.
Cottonmouth snakes are in Central
Texas, but that’s not their preferred habitat. You are more likely to encounter them East of I 35 and especially in East, Southeast, and coastal counties of Texas. The are aggressive in comparison with most venemous snakes, have very little brain capacity, and can do damage. As for getting into boats, that happens, but its not usually a case in which the snake climbs into the kayak with you, that’s rare. More likely to happen is the cottonmouth falls into your vessel from a tree limb or goes on attack when you pass close by. Bites are rare and most of us never encounter a cottonmouth. I wouldn’t worry about them, just be watchful. And, most of the water snakes you see are NOT cottonmouth water moccasins, but harmless water snakes. If you have a phobia about snakes, you’ll never go into the water. A few weekends ago, on Lake Livingston, I counted 50 water snakes in one small inlet.
I once saw a blooper on a fishing
show and a snake came off a tree branch into the boat they were filming. So be carefull, I have heard that they like to hang on branches that hang over the water.
chased is the wrong verb…
…followed would be more correct. It SEEMS
like they are chasing you when they get in your
boat’s eddy and stay behind you.
all snakes can swim…
…i doubt cottonmouths do much feeding underwater.
They aren’t an aquatic animal. Like us, they
just prefer water.
Throw you orange peels at it…
then that will take it’s mind off you and you can slip away before it realizes you are gone.
cheers,
jackL
Chased or followed
Cottonmouths, I have never been bothered in any way shape or form. Maybe watched, but that is it.
And I too have read that all snakes swim.
Huh
rather be bitten by a water moc than move North!
Happy Paddling,
Mark
There are way too many myths and
over-exaggerated accounts of encounters with water moccasins/cottonmouths. I have been around them for almost 50 years and have never seen evidence to validate all the hype. The vast majority of “water moccasins” that are encounterd are not even moccasins. Generally, they are banded water snakes or rat snakes. Since all of these snakes go through various coloration schemes as they mature, they can be easily confused. Someone else already posted a good identifier: mocs will tend to keep their heads up (about a 45 degree angle) whether they are in the water or on land. More: mocs will tend to keep more of their body on top of the water when they swim; mocs tend to be fat and sausage-like in body; the inside of a mocs mouth CAN be pure white (if you are seeng this, you have erred); mocs will rarely be found up in branches. The ultimate way to distinguish is that common water snakes or rat snakes have round pupils while mocs have eliptical pupils. Most people do not wish to get close enough to see the eyes and just default to a moc.
I truly believe that, left alone and not made to feel threatened, mocs are not overly dangerous. About the same threat level as wasps and hornets. They will go into display and defense if they are made to feet threatened. They are more prone to stike when encountered on land since escape is harder. Be careful when getting out of the boat or stepping over logs to portage. I am not aware of any reason why they would have a desire to approach a boat. Obviously, many will argue this point and provide “experiences” to the contrary. I think the best defense is knowledge and awareness. Slow down and pay attention. If all fails and you get nailed by one, unless you are a small child or are in really poor health, the bite is rarely life threatening. A lot of times, they do not even inject venom (you are not a food source and it takes the snake time to produce more venom that it will need to get food) and the biggest concern is the infection threat. Ain’t nature great?
I’ve had them chase me…
…on land. without provocation. In the spring
time especially they are feisty.
And you’re right aobut their shape. it’s a good
at a distance identifier. the other water snakes
tend to be slimmer, less stocky.
I have had them follow my boats, but mostly I think
my eddy was supplying an easy route to follow.
On Lake Travis, one doesn’t have to
worry about snakes in branches or aquatic vegetation, there isn’t much. Pretty rocy environment, that’s probably why one never sees cottonmouths there. Lake Austin may be a differnt story, but the ski boats and jet skis will eat you alive there.
Larger adults save venom, smaller
juveniles are more likely to give you a full load and, therefore, are more dangerous. But, even if a snake doesn’t inject venom, they often carry all sorts of bacteria in their mouths and can give quite an infection. With any snake bite, its best to go to the ER and, if you can, take along the culprit that bit you. These days, with camera phones and digitals in everyone’s dry bags, a picture will suffice. As for cottonmouths being in tree branches, they don’t tend to climb, but will get into low lying branches close to the water and in the branchs of bushes in the water.
Water moccasins
– Last Updated: Jun-15-06 10:55 AM EST –
Have been paddling rivers for over 40 years.
Have yet to see a water moccasin, laying on a tree limb, out over the water. Have seen 100s of Banded Water snakes there. Have typically found Water Moccasins in swampy, marshy areas, shallow creek beds, laying on river banks, or on top of logs in the water.
Have never found them to be particularly aggressive unless you disturb them, aggravate them, or invade their space. Have never had one attempt to come into my boat, but have had 2 different encounters where they did swim towards my boat. Both times it was "my" problem, not the snake's aggressive behavior. On one occasion, when still young & stupid, I took a shot at one with a .22 pistol. Missed, splashed it with water. It came out to "investigate". On the other occasion, my paddling partner & I got too close when a pair of them were mating, attempting to get a photo. One of them was most definitely not happy to be disturbed. On both occasions, just paddling 2 boat lengths away from them ended the encounter.
When I was present & checked it out, it has been my experience that 99 of 100 snakes someone has identified as a Water Moccasin, was is in fact a Banded Water Snake. To the uninitiated & uninformed, virtually every snake seen on the river is a Water Moccasin.
If you are bitten by a Water Moccasin; you should immediately seek medical attention.
While it may not kill a normal, healthy adult, the bite is a possible source of infection, and the possibility exists that there will be tissue loss/nerve damage in the area of the bite that is not treated. There will typically be swelling, pain, and discoloration in the bite area. It is most certainly possible to die as a result of an untreated Water Moccasin bite.
BOB
I’ve seen them in low branches…
…over water in swamps. I’ve also seen the balled up in a wad on dead tree branches over swamps in
Al, Ms, La, NC.
and, yes, they were cottonmouths.
Just saw my first water snake
Not sure what breed or class snake it was, but it was darting around the put-in at my local lake. It didn’t look very interested in getting too close to my canoe, but sure was excited about something…
Probably excited about…
…getting into the rocks and out of your way!
Yes, virginia, cottonmouths do get on
low lying branches…from the Nat’l Zoo:
Distribution and Habitat
Cottonmouths reside mainly in the southeastern United States. This includes very southern Virginia to Florida and east to eastern Texas. There are three subspecies: the eastern, Florida, and western cottonmouths.
Cottonmouths are semi-aquatic and can be found near water and fields. They inhabit brackish waters and are commonly found in swamps, streams, marshes, and drainage ditches in the southern lowlands of the United States. They also live at the edges of lakes, ponds, and slow-moving streams and waters. They sun themselves on the branches, logs, and stones at the edge of the water.
For more reliable information, heres the web page:
http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/ReptilesAmphibians/Facts/FactSheets/Cottonmouth.cfm
Basically, if you live North of Virginia and west of I-35 from Oklahoma thru Texas you probably have nothing to worry about from venomness water snakes.
But, then, there are those rattlesnakes.
Lord Knows…
how many harmless snakes have been killed because someone thought they were a ‘cottonmouth’.
Eat them
Never had a problem my self with gators or snakes.
I have herd they get aggressiv ethis time of year but so do the gators.
Ps: any good recipes for Cottonmouth out there.
Brian
SoFlo