Easter Surprise!

[fyrffytr1]

I was walking around my yard this morning taking pictures of flowers when I happened to glance down into the drainage ditch running across the back of my property and saw this healthy gal! She was about 3 feet long and as big as my forearm.
My wife wanted me to dispatch the snake because of children and pets in the area but, I opted for relocating it.
I called the local sheriffs office and they sent three deputies out. After reading the snake her rights they loaded her in a plastic tote I gave them, taped it shut then put her in the back of the one deputies pick up and hauled her off to a safe location.

 

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[glass half fool]

Is that a Water Moccasin? Looks like a pretty good sized one

 

[Louie D]

Nice Cottonmouth!

 

[newnan man]

Thanks for relocating it. Too many people kill every snake they see.

 

[smokeythecat]

Kudos for not killing it like a neanderthal would have!

 

[EQ8]

Ya did the right thing there.

 

[fyrffytr1]

If it hadn't been for kids and pets in the immediate vicinity I would have left her alone. When the drainage ditch starts drying up she would move back down to the swamp about 500yards away.

 

[tamrock]

Cool snake.

 

[Professor of Engineering]

Nice job!

 

[RGINN]

fyrffytr1, sent the pic to my son, who's done research projects on water moccassins, and he believes it to be an eastern cottonmouth. If so, he had this to say. "(They) tend to habitat shallow streams with root shelf systems. They travel shallow creeks feeding on fish in dried up puddles. You won't find them basking on logs in ponds and lakes; they are a fairly reclusive snake, especially being nocturnal. Odd he found it where he did, so I'm guessing it's habitat was disrupted either by flooding or some other issue, seeing that it its a well established adult. Pretty cool snake not near as common as believed and very colorful as juveniles. One of my favorites still!" Thought you might be interested in that.

 

[BLK HOLE]

Nice catch and release!

 

[A2coins]

Or they made some new Gun holsters out of it.LOL