Since the bulk of this forum is related to two-legged predators, this thread is focused on some of the threats you're likely to encounter in the wild. This thread is skewed for my particular area of familiarity: The Southeastern United States.
Part I - Snakes
The Copperhead:
Description: Copperheads are fairly large 24 - 40 in (61 - 102 cm), heavy-bodied snakes with large, triangular heads and elliptical pupils (cat eyes). The body is tan to brown with darker hourglass-shaped crossbands down the length of the body. Individuals from the Coastal Plain often have crossbands that are broken along the center of the back. The head is solid brown, and there are two tiny dots in the center of the top of the head. Juveniles resemble adults but have a bright yellow tail tip. As pit-vipers they have facial pits that sense heat and are used to detect prey and predators. Male copperheads are larger than females. Many harmless species in our region are confused with this species but copperheads are the only species with hourglass-shaped crossbands (all other species have blotches that are circular, square, or are widest down the center of the back).
Range and Habitat: Copperheads range throughout the eastern and central United States but are absent from most of Florida and south-central Georgia . Although copperheads are found in forested areas throughout most of South Carolina and Georgia , their habitat preferences change across our region. In the Mountains, copperheads are most common on dry rocky hillsides and sometimes den communally with Timber Rattlesnakes (Crotalus horridus) on open, south-facing hillsides. In the Coastal Plain copperheads are most abundant in lowland hardwood forest and swamp margins. Copperheads are quite tolerant of habitat alteration and remain common in suburban areas of many large cities.
Habits: Copperheads can be found during the day or night, but forage primarily after dark during the hotter parts of the season. In the Piedmont and Coastal Plain they are frequently observed crossing roads on warm nights. In the Mountains, Copperheads are often found by day basking on rock outcrops or coiled in ambush postures. Copperheads are opportunistic feeders and are known to consume a variety of prey, including amphibians, lizards, snakes, small mammals, birds, and insects. Copperheads mate in the spring, at which time males move long distances in search of females. Females give live birth to 7 10 (up to 20) young in the late summer and probably only reproduce every other year. The young have bright yellow tail tips that they wiggle to attract prey such as frogs and lizards. Because they are common in forested habitats and are well-camouflaged, copperheads are responsible for the majority of the snakebites in the Southeast each year. Luckily, copperhead venom is not very potent and deaths from copperhead bites are exceedingly rare. Most snake bites occur when someone tries to kill or harass a snake, so the best way to avoid a bite is to leave any snake you find alone.
The Cotton Mouth / Water Moccasin:
Description: Cottonmouths are venomous semi-aquatic snakes often referred to as water moccasins. They have large, triangular heads with a dark line through the eye, elliptical pupils, and large jowls due to the venom glands. They are large 24 - 48 in (61 - 122 cm), keeled-scaled, heavy-bodied snakes. Their coloration is highly variable: they can be beautifully marked with dark crossbands on a brown and yellow ground color or completely brown or black. Older adults are often dark and solid-colored whereas the juveniles are brightly patterned with a sulphur yellow tail tip that they wiggle to attract prey. The belly typically has dark and brownish-yellow blotches with the underside of the tail being black. As pit-vipers they have facial pits that sense heat and are used to detect prey and predators. Male cottonmouths are larger than females.
Range and Habitat: Cottonmouths range throughout the Southeast, north to southeastern Virginia . In our region Cottonmouths are generally restricted to the Coastal Plain but are found in a few Piedmont locations west of Atlanta , Georgia . They can be found in nearly all freshwater habitats but are most common in cypress swamps, river floodplains, and heavily-vegetated wetlands. Cottonmouths will venture overland and are sometimes found far from permanent water. Cottonmouths often congregate around drying pools in wetlands to feed on trapped fish and amphibians.
Habits: Cottonmouths can be found during the day or night, but forage primarily after dark during the hotter parts of the season. Throughout much of their range, they can be found year-round, even in sunny days in the winter. Cottonmouths bask on logs, rocks, or branches at the water's edge but seldom climb high in trees (unlike many of the nonvenomous watersnakes which commonly bask on branches several feet above the water). They employ both ambush and active foraging strategies. Cottonmouths are opportunistic feeders and are known to consume a variety of aquatic and terrestrial prey, including amphibians, lizards, snakes (including smaller cottonmouths), small turtles, baby alligators, mammals, birds, and especially fish. Cottonmouths mate in the early summer at which time male-to-male combat occurs in competition for females. Females have litters of 1-20 live young every 2-3 years. The young are large (20-33 cm) and have bright yellow tail tips. The cottonmouth receives its name from the whiteness of the interior of its mouth that it exposes as a defensive display. This species is often confused with nonvenomous watersnakes, but watersnakes typically flee immediately if on land or in a tree, usually going underwater, whereas cottonmouths frequently stand their ground and gape to deter a predator. Despite their aggressive reputation, research has indicated that cottonmouths will seldom bite unless stepped on or picked up. When not alarmed, cottonmouths can be readily recognized when swimming because most of their body is above the water's surface.
The Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake:
Description: The Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake is the largest of the 32 species of rattlesnake currently recognized. They are large, heavy-bodied snakes with large, broad heads with two light lines on the face. Adults are usually 33-72 in (84-183 cm) long, but the largest individual on record was 96 in (244 cm). Mature snakes can tip the scales at over 10 lbs. The background color is brown, tan, or yellowish and covered with the namesake diamonds, which are brown and surrounded by lighter scales. Males are larger than females.
Range and Habitat: Diamondback Rattlesnakes are restricted to the Lower Coastal Plain of the Southeast, from southern North Carolina to eastern Louisiana, although the stronghold of their range is in Florida and southern Georgia . This species usually inhabits dry sandy areas, palmetto or wiregrass flatwoods, pinewoods, coastal dune habitats, or hardwood hammocks. They generally avoid wet areas but sometimes live along the edges of swamps. They are accomplished swimmers and even travel through saltwater to and from barrier islands. In many locations this species relies heavily on gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) burrows during winter months.
Habits: Like most large pitvipers Eastern Diamondbacks spend most of their time coiled in palmetto thickets or other thick vegetation to ambush prey. Most movement between locations occurs during the day, and is mostly restricted to the morning and evening in summer. Diamondbacks spend the winter in stump holes or tortoise burrows but may emerge on warm winter days to bask. This species feeds almost exclusively on mammals, particularly rabbits. Mating occurs in the spring and fall and females give birth to 12 24 young in the late summer. Diamondbacks grow slowly, taking several years to reach maturity, and adult females only reproduce every 2-3 years.
The Canebrake / Timber Rattlesnake:
Description: Timber rattlesnakes, which are called canebrake rattlesnake in the Coastal Plain of the Southeast, are large, heavy bodied snakes with the characteristic rattles on the end of the tail. Adults range from 30-60 in (76-152 cm) with the record being more than 6 feet (183 cm) long. Canebrakes are usually gray and may even have a pink hue and a pinkish, yellow, orange, or brown stripe running the length of the back. Timber rattlers are typically more brown or yellowish and may even be black. Both forms have solid black tails that appear almost velvet and black chevrons on the back and sides with the point of the (V) pointing forward. The babies are miniatures of the adults but are usually a lighter gray and have only a single button (rattle) on the tip of the tail at birth. Males get larger than females.
Range and Habitat: Timber and canebrake rattlesnakes have a wide distribution in the eastern United States but the species is absent from most of Florida. This snake occurs in a wide variety of terrestrial habitat including lowland cane thickets, high areas around swamps and river floodplains, hardwood and pine forests, mountainous areas, and rural habitats in farming areas. They typically become reduced in numbers in highly urbanized or areas of housing development.
Habits: Timber and canebrake rattlesnakes become active above ground by late spring and can be seen periodically until the onset of cold weather in late fall. Canebrakes are active during both day and night but spend the majority of their time coiled in ambush positions ready to capture prey. These rattlesnakes hibernate during cold weather. Timber rattlers congregate in dens in mountainous areas whereas canebrakes often overwinter alone in stump holes or beneath ground cover. They eat mostly small rodents when young, and large individuals kill and eat squirrels and rabbits. Females usually do not reach maturity until at least 5 years old and typically wait at least 2 or 3 years between litters. The live young are born in late summer or early fall around the time that courtship and mating occurs. Large male canebrake rattlesnakes are often seen in late summer or early fall in search of mates. Although reaching large sizes, most individuals are docile when encountered in the wild and often will remain coiled or stretched out without moving. If threatened, however, they will not hesitate to deliver a serious bite.
The Pygmy Rattlesnake:
Description: This small [1422 in (38-56 cm)] rattlesnake belongs to the genus Sistrurus and is commonly referred to as a pigmy rattler or ground rattler. Unlike the larger rattlesnakes of the genus Crotalus, this species has nine large scales on top of the head and a tiny rattle that can seldom be heard. There are three subspecies of pigmy rattlesnakes, of which two occur in Georgia (Sistrurus miliarius miliarius the Carolina pigmy rattler and Sistrurus miliarius barbouri the dusky pigmy rattler). Both subspecies have a row of mid-dorsal spots and a bar than runs from the eye to the base of the mouth, but the color of this bar can vary from black to brownish red. An orange or reddish brown dorsal stripe is also present on both subspecies. In young snakes, the tip of the tail is sulfur yellow and is used for caudal luring. The Carolina pigmy rattler can be gray, tan, or lavender. Some specimens from northern Georgia and eastern North Carolina are orange or red. The pattern of this subspecies is usually clean and well defined, with one or two rows of lateral spots. The venter is moderately patterned. The dusky pigmy ranges from bluish gray to nearly black. Numerous dark flecks often obscure the pattern of this subspecies. There are normally three rows of lateral spots, and the venter is heavily patterned.
Range and Habitat: The Carolina pigmy rattler is found in the northeastern, northwestern, and central portion of Georgia and throughout South Carolina . Dusky pigmy rattlers inhabits the southern Coastal Plain area. Although fairly common in the Coastal Plain of both states, populations in the Piedmont are few and scattered. Dusky pygmies inhabit areas near water sources like creeks, marshes, and swamps but can be found in a variety of habitats including pine and scrub oak sandhills, scrub pinewoods, mixed forests of pine and hardwoods, longleaf pine-wiregrass forests, swamps, and even xeric uplands. Carolina pigmies are generally restricted to drier habitats and are most common in sandhills and xeric pine forests. When available, this species is known to use gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) burrows as well as those of small mammals.
Habits: Pigmy rattlesnakes spend most of their time well-hidden among leaf litter and can be very hard to spot. From such hiding places they ambush a variety of prey including lizards, frogs, small mammals, and insects as well as centipedes. These snakes are most often encountered crossing roads on summer evenings. Females give birth to live young in the late summer or fall.
Dealing with Venomous Snakes:
Snakes are widely distributed. They are found in all tropical, subtropical, and most temperate regions. Some species of snakes have specialized glands that contain a toxic venom and long hollow fangs to inject their venom. Although venomous snakes use their venom to secure food, they also use it for self-defense. Human accidents occur when you don't see or hear the snake, when you step on them, or when you walk too close to them.
Snakes can strike about 2/3 of their body length. In other words, a snake that is 3feet long can strike from a distance of about 2 feet. However, you should usually give all poisonous snakes a wide berth; at least 15 feet.
Follow these simple rules to reduce the chance of accidental snakebite:
Don't sleep next to brush, tall grass, large boulders, or trees. They provide hiding places for snakes. Place your sleeping bag in a clearing. Use mosquito netting tucked well under the bag. This netting should provide a good barrier.
Don't put your hands into dark places, such as rock crevices, heavy brush, or hollow logs, without first investigating.
Don't step over a fallen tree. Step on the log and look to see if there is a snake resting on the other side.
Don't walk through heavy brush or tall grass without looking down. Look where you are walking.
Don't pick up any snake unless you are absolutely positive it is not venomous.
Don't pick up freshly killed snakes without first severing the head. The nervous system may still be active and a dead snake can deliver a bite.
Killin' Snakes:
If in a wilderness/survival situation, the two prefered methods of dispatching the serpent:
Obtain a stick, and club the snake. Be careful to remain out of its striking range.
Obtain a forked stick. Pin the snake down, as close to the head as possible with the forked section of stick. Bludgeon, or cut the snake.
FWIW, most of the snake slayers I've met use rat-shot in their handguns to dispatch snakes in the wild.
Finally, and most importantly,
Cooking Snake:
Snakes are quite common and generally unprotected in many parts of the world. While they do serve a purpose in nature, they also have delicious meat and possess skins that are often quite beautiful.The following steps will tell you how to skin, eviscerate, and prepare a snake for cooking. If the subject is not a rattlesnake, these instructions should still be applicable, with the exception of the ones regarding the rattle.
1) Remove the head. It is always best to work with a decapitated snake because even "dead" snakes have been known to strike, and the fangs are still quite dangerous. By removing the head, you are removing all venom.
2) Wash the outside of the snake thoroughly. Soapy water or even plain water will work well. Just make sure the soap is completely rinsed off of the snake.
3) Make an incision down the centerline of the belly, through the skin only, all the way from the stump where the head was attached to the base of the rattle. On most snakes, there is a smaller belly scale covering the cloaca. In the picture, this is the last cream-colored scale before the darker tail scales. Simply split this up the middle just like the rest of the scales.
4) Pull the skin from the flesh by hand, again beginning at the head end, using even tension on the skin to avoid tearing. Be sure to separate the skin from the membrane underneath right at the head end. You want clean skin with nothing attached to it. The hide should be loose enough that it easily detaches from the carcass. If the skin is a bit "tight", a knife may be used to carefully free it in the tough places. Peeling without the use of a knife can usually be accomplished all the way to the cloaca.
When the cloaca is reached, it is usually necessary to free it from the skin by cutting around the opening with the knife. Continue skinning to the base of the rattle. The attachments to the muscles that control the rattle generally make the hide harder to pull off. A knife must be used in this area if the skin is too tight to peel off, as the skin is rather delicate in this section.
After the skin is completely freed from all but the rattle itself, cut through the tail as close to the base of the rattle as possible. If the skin is to be saved with the rattle attached, it helps for the piece of flesh attached to the rattle to be small.
Don't fret too much about totally removing the flesh below the cloaca and above the rattles (basically the black and white banding on rattlesnakes). It is almost impossible to completely remove the skin from the flesh in this area. It will dry up easily
Constrictor snakes such as bull and rat snakes cannot be "peeled". Their skin is attached with many muscle attachments over the full length of the body. Cutting through them is tedious as it is hard to get the skin free from the flesh and very easy to cut or tear the skin.
5) Remove the viscera (innards) by hand, starting at the head end, using a scooping motion with the hand if the organs are difficult to remove. Care must be taken near the lower digestive region or the snake might excrete unappetizing substances on the meat.
6) Rinse the now eviscerated and skinned snake in cool water to remove any excess blood or other undesirable substances. Membrane and fat are often rather difficult to remove from the ribcage and backbone and can be cut free at this time.
7) Cut the snake into segments that are the most convenient length for the desired method of cooking.
Helpful Cooking Tips:
When dealing with a fresh snake, it is best to wait an hour or two before skinning after the snake is killed. It is amazing how much a dead snake can wiggle, and this makes it difficult to make a straight incision.
When cutting the snake into segments, make the cuts between and at the same angle as the ribs to avoid cutting the ribs. If the ribs are severed, they may be difficult to remove from the meat after it is cooked.
Snake is somewhere between chicken and fish in texture and flavor, and may be made to seem like either.
If the snake was bitten by itself or by another venomous snake, cooking will usually remove all venom. If you see any bite marks, however, proceed with caution.
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Originally Posted by TheLandlord
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