SNAKES!

ericpabear · Post by **ericpabear** » Jun Sun 18, 2006 7:57 pm

We just came back from Walt Disney World. We stayed at Old Key West. As my family and I were walking towards our room, a large black snake appeared. It was approx. 5 foot long and as round as a garden hose. It quickly took off with me in pursuit. That thing doubled back, and looked me right in the eyes, then took off again. My son called the front desk to report it, but they didn't come to our aid. The the next day at the buss stop at Old Key West, a child let out a yell. He almost stepped on another one. At Typhoon Lagoon, the crowd parted to let a foot long black snake pass. Last year at Old Key West My son almost stepped on a large black snake at night. A dozen years ago, we stayed at the Contemporary. Early in the morning when the pool first opened, my baby girl let out a shreek. A foot long black snake was in the pool.

Mr.ToadWildRider · Post by **Mr.ToadWildRider** » Jun Sun 18, 2006 8:37 pm

You pursued the snake? Why.....lol. By the way if those are the same type of black snake we have up here in New England they're harmless (I think...) but are pretty scary to happen upon. I was camping one year in the Scouts and in the woods near a body of water and heard a rustle and I saw a big ol' black snake slithering on by and nearly had a heart attack - but it didn't seem to care about me so I left him alone and he left me alone.

Lion Sleeps Tonight · Post by **Lion Sleeps Tonight** » Jun Sun 18, 2006 10:56 pm

Yeah. WDW has a lot of wildlife doesnt it? Snakes just pop up out of nowhere- especially at Animal Kingdom. I remember a cast member asking a manager if she needed to report a snake to pest control, but the manager just said it wasn't necessary. *shrugs*

gullyf · Post by **gullyf** » Jun Sun 18, 2006 11:31 pm

Mr.ToadWildRider wrote:You pursued the snake? Why.....

Very good question. Snakes are pretty much a part of life in Florida, along with a host of other critters. Best thing to do is just leave them alone and they'll go their own way, or report it, as you did, and let managment decide how to handle it. Pursuing anything you haven't pursued before and cannot positively identify is asking for trouble, and big trouble if it happens to turn out venomous and you DO manage to catch it..

Post by **js3901** » Jun Mon 19, 2006 8:05 am

gullyf wrote:and big trouble if it happens to turn out venomous and you DO manage to catch it..

less than 1% of the worlds snakes are venomous, and of that amount, less than half are fatal. the vast majority are treatable and would just hurt a bit if bitten.

gullyf · Post by **gullyf** » Jun Mon 19, 2006 9:40 am

js3901 wrote:
gullyf wrote:and big trouble if it happens to turn out venomous and you DO manage to catch it..
less than 1% of the worlds snakes are venomous, and of that amount, less than half are fatal. the vast majority are treatable and would just hurt a bit if bitten.

Just what I want to do while on my Disney vacation: spend it in the hospital getting treated for snakebite. Nor is the bite or treatment painless and without potential complications. (Edit: Note that even non-venomous snakes can bite and create the possibility of infection, thus requiring medical attention).

And I will guarantee that Florida beats the world average for poisonous snakes. I spent much much of my youth in central Florida and caught a great many, including a 36" coral snake that I took to the now-defunct Ross Allen Reptile Institute. It was just shy of the largest they had ever seen (or so they told me at the time).

You are on vacation, a temporary visitor in an often-unfamiliar sub-tropical environment. Enjoy it and the indigenous creatures- from a safe distance. If you want to test your luck, go on Mission:Space. The odds of not having a spoiled or interrupted vacation are higher in your favor there at least...

Post by **Dr. Ravenscroft** » Jun Mon 19, 2006 1:40 pm

I thought Austrailia had the most venomous snakes, in both respects of the phrase. Anywho I have seen the snakes around and I don't worry about them unless it starts rattling, I've even seen Armadillos at Coronado Springs. The Armadillos are fun because they curl up into the little armoured ball when they get scared.

Post by **js3901** » Jun Mon 19, 2006 4:13 pm

Dr. Ravenscroft wrote:I thought Austrailia had the most venomous snakes, in both respects of the phrase. Anywho I have seen the snakes around and I don't worry about them unless it starts rattling, I've even seen Armadillos at Coronado Springs. The Armadillos are fun because they curl up into the little armoured ball when they get scared.

yeah, australia has over 75% of the most poisonous snakes in the world. not florida. the coral snake you saw gullf, may have actually been a simple non-poisonous king snake. they are very simlar in coloration. there is a simple phrase so you know which is which:

"If red touches black, you're ok jack (king snake). If red touches yellow, you're a dead fellow (coral snake)"

Mr.ToadWildRider · Post by **Mr.ToadWildRider** » Jun Mon 19, 2006 5:38 pm

Regardless of venom or not, if you threaten a wild snake it still has fangs...

Post by **js3901** » Jun Mon 19, 2006 6:58 pm

Mr.ToadWildRider wrote:Regardless of venom or not, if you threaten a wild snake it still has fangs...

where did you get this info? Do boa constritors have fangs? I think not. snakes don;t chew food, they eat it whole. not all of them need teeth in order to catch food. most are friendly enough that you can pick them up and play with them with no fear of it biting you.

GoofyInOhio · Post by **GoofyInOhio** » Jun Mon 19, 2006 8:00 pm

js3901 wrote:
Mr.ToadWildRider wrote:Regardless of venom or not, if you threaten a wild snake it still has fangs...
where did you get this info? Do boa constritors have fangs? I think not. snakes don;t chew food, they eat it whole. not all of them need teeth in order to catch food. most are friendly enough that you can pick them up and play with them with no fear of it biting you.

Snakes? Why did it have to be Snakes? Indiana Jones. My favorite line.....

I've been afraid of these things my whole life! I won't even go inside the thing at the zoo. They may not be as dangerous as people believe, but they scare the heck out of me.

gullyf · Post by **gullyf** » Jun Mon 19, 2006 8:18 pm

js3901 wrote:
Dr. Ravenscroft wrote:I thought Austrailia had the most venomous snakes, in both respects of the phrase. Anywho I have seen the snakes around and I don't worry about them unless it starts rattling, I've even seen Armadillos at Coronado Springs. The Armadillos are fun because they curl up into the little armoured ball when they get scared.
yeah, australia has over 75% of the most poisonous snakes in the world. not florida. the coral snake you saw gullf, may have actually been a simple non-poisonous king snake. they are very simlar in coloration. there is a simple phrase so you know which is which:

"If red touches black, you're ok jack (king snake). If red touches yellow, you're a dead fellow (coral snake)"

I didn't state that Florida had the most venomous snakes, only that you can be sure it exceeds the average, especially if you are in New York

. Coral snakes don't rattle (neither do a number of others, while some non-poisonous ones do), and have a highly toxic venom. The one saving grace is that they actually don't have "fangs", but have to kind of "chew" to deliver their poison. There is no doubt it was a coral snake: I am quite aware of how to identify them, and I am also quite sure Ross Allen's, a large snake ranch located in Ocala's Silver Springs at the time, was quite capable at identifying. Nor was it the only coral I caught, though the others were much smaller.

Not all snakes have fangs, but all have teeth, and they face backwards, so if they do bite you it is likely to tear the skin if you pull back. Any snake will bite out of fear: don't confuse wild snakes with the pet store variety that is used to being handled. I was quite fortunate to never have been bitten by a venomous snake, though quite a few black racers and hog-nosed snakes got a piece of me.

Armadillos are a blast .. had one for a pet for years

.

Look, the chances of a snake being poisonous are indeed very small, but not negligible and not a risk anyone who doesn't know what they are doing should be taking while on vacation. That is the point here, and all the other facts, figures and comments simply miss that point. If you are pretty sure you can't tell a black indigo from a black racer from a cottonmouth, then leave it alone. Even if you can, you should probably leave it alone. If you don't, it's your vacation...

ericpabear · Post by **ericpabear** » Jun Mon 19, 2006 8:44 pm

I live in Louisiana. I have caught many snakes through out my life time. I chased this snake because it was black. Cottonmouth, Moccasins look like what I saw. When I came eye to eye, I noticed the head was too small to be a Cottonmouth. (still starteled me the heck out of me) Lucky him, because he was gonna die. If I think it is poisonous, I kill it, just to be safe, then find out. Snakes, even the none poisonous kind, bite and can make you sick, if they bite you.

gullyf · Post by **gullyf** » Jun Mon 19, 2006 9:36 pm

hehe... Louisiana is probably on par with Florida as far as proportion of venomous to non-venomous snakes goes (edit: possibly even worse

... and as you guessed cottonmouth was what I was thinking when writing my post... used to watch them swim under us in the lake, but they never bothered us if we didn't bother them. With one exception: there was one that thought he was going to get away with my fish, stringer and all! Didn't quite work out for him though...

Mr.ToadWildRider · Post by **Mr.ToadWildRider** » Jun Tue 20, 2006 8:17 am

js3901 wrote:
Mr.ToadWildRider wrote:Regardless of venom or not, if you threaten a wild snake it still has fangs...
where did you get this info? Do boa constritors have fangs? I think not. snakes don;t chew food, they eat it whole. not all of them need teeth in order to catch food. most are friendly enough that you can pick them up and play with them with no fear of it biting you.

"Boas' sharp teeth help them to get a good grip on their prey, but unlike some snakes, they do not have fangs or venom. They are constrictors. The boa constrictor kills its prey by suffocating it. The boa will tighten its coils when a captured animal exhales, and then because the prey cannot open its lungs, it cannot inhale." http://www.ecotarium.org/exhibitsanimals/animals/boa/

While "Fangs" may have been the incorrect term they do have sharp teeth. Whether they'd use them or not is questionable but any wild abimal that feels threatened will tend to defend themselves anyway they can based on instinct which includes biting. I recall hearing about even pet boas and pythons biting people who mistreat them or severely mishandle them, and while it's by no way shape of form any real danger of being fatal would you really want to get bit by a snake while on vacation? I'm sure it hurts and I'm sure it'd take some medical attention regardlless.