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Snake Thread 2017

780,182 Views | 3233 Replies | Last: 6 yr ago by Sean98
Lonestar_Ag09
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Badace52 said:

She should be glad cuz that stiff runs patients somewhere between 3,600 and 4,100 dollars per vial. The hospital charges insurance companies about 50,000 dollars per vial but generally people are only required to pay 3,600-4,100. It's all ridiculous cuz similar products in Mexico sell for about 100 dollars per vial... O.K. rant over.
and thus the problem with our healthcare system...
WLW12SPJ
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Thanks for the replies. I wasn't sure what was considered to be a lot of anti-venom.
WLW12SPJ
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In response to OFN - I was just saying there is some info out there (opinion, or fact - idk) that states juvenile snakes have to "learn" how to control their venom output and can release more than it should in a defensive strike.
FrioAg 00
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Removed as not to derail
ttha_aggie_09
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I greatly appreciated your insight and others on here regarding the costs of healthcare.

I would ask that we not derail this thread into a debate over healthcare costs. Not picking on you, just want to make sure this thread stays snake related.
FrioAg 00
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Agreed, shouldn't have responded to the brief detail.

Love this thread fir what it is
jbanda
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Ok back on track.

My Aunt and Uncle had an unwanted visitor last night inside their home in Harlingen. Apparently this guy slithered across my aunt's feet as she was working in the kitchen. Scared TF out of her and the snake didn't survive.

Pretty sure it's non-venomous. Any ideas on the species?

ttha_aggie_09
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Coachwhip
12f Mane
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That's a neat one, a subspecies of racer called the Mexican racer (Coluber constrictor oaxaca). They aren't common and are only in south Texas and up the coast to Aransas or so.
ttha_aggie_09
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12f Mane said:

That's a neat one, a subspecies of racer called the Mexican racer (Coluber constrictor oaxaca). They aren't common and are only in south Texas and up the coast to Aransas or so.


I knew I should have waited... it didn't scream coachwhip to me but it was the most similar and I wasn't aware of the Mexican racer.

Thanks!
Decay
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Okay, got 3 snakes from my facebook friends. Been following these threads so I'm working my identification skills.

First is the post "my husband killed a cottonmouth on our steps". Yellow jaw that looks segmented, head not the hard arrow shape, markings clear and not "faded", might have even flared out its neck before they lopped its head off... and his eyes look kinda friendly. I guess maybe Hognose with that pattern and being kinda fat?




Next, no murder luckily... but snakes caught in minnow trap so still dead. Poster said "they stunk having been in the trap a few days so I tossed them quickly, but don't think they were moccasins". All I can make out is the yellow belly and some striping so I'd guess the banded water snake?




OnlyForNow
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Frist sure looks like an eastern hognose to me.

Second I can't tell.
12f Mane
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First is a hognose, second is a diamondback watersnake
VaultingChemist
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Just took this pic.



Looks harmless but it is not.
Decay
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Identifying snakes is fun! Thanks.
DJV2012
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Massasauga?
VaultingChemist
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DJV2012 said:

Massasauga?
I believe it is. Rattle is almost completely gone and head is not shaped like a typical pit viper.
12f Mane
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That's freaking cool. It is a massasauga. Where from?
ursusguy
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Excellent example of why I don't teach about triangular heads.
VaultingChemist
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12f Mane said:

That's freaking cool. It is a massasauga. Where from?
Shackelford County, Texas. I have seen several of these over the years, but this was one of the biggest I have seen (over 18" long).

txags92
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VaultingChemist said:

DJV2012 said:

Massasauga?
I believe it is. Rattle is almost completely gone and head is not shaped like a typical pit viper.
That is what initially fooled me about the Massasauga I saw out at White Sands. What little rattle it had was not very distinguishable from the rest of it. I originally was thinking it was a rat snake or gopher snake of some kind.
Lonestar_Ag09
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Ok so that is a new name I've never heard...or missed on here. Please fill us gen-pop lurkers in on what it is and some details about it.

TIA
Badace52
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The massasauga is a relatively small rattlesnake species with a fairly unique and very potent cytotoxic venom that ranges from the Ohio river valley to Mexico. It is elusive and shy and a pretty rare encounter in general. There are three recognized subspecies and I believe two of them are found in Texas. Western and desert massasauga, the Eastern variety lives in the Midwest, oddly enough.
No material on this site is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See full Medical Disclaimer.
Decay
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So as an amatuer, this is what I came up with:

  • Oval/slit cat pupils, not round.
  • Dark stripe similar to other rattlers under/behind eye.
  • Head isn't as triangular but has the "angular" flat head and vertical sides of head.
  • Skinny neck distinguishes the rest of the body, which kinda looks like the squatty hognose to me.
  • Can flatten out like some other snakes but won't flare his neck like the hognose.
  • Can have rattles too which would obviously help identify.
VaultingChemist
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It moves somewhat differently from your typical rattlesnake in that it has a frantic, fast crawling motion when fleeing. It is usually much more prone to strike if provoked.....about three times as frequently as a diamondback, which is why I think they are more dangerous than the diamondback.
The old timers called them prairie ground rattlers.
Lonestar_Ag09
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Thanks, hopefully I dont encounter those! Not a fan of pissed of poisenous snakes that I cant easily identify...

How would you pronounce the name, "mass-a-saw-gah"? (taking a stab in the dark)
12f Mane
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Correct. I think it's a native term of some sort but I can't recall.
AggiePetro07
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It means great river mouth. I only know that because I found one in OK County Oklahoma in 2005 and spent a long time trying to figure out what the hell kind of snake it was.
Fleff
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What did my buddy kill?

12f Mane
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He killed a yellowbellied watersnake with a giant tootsie roll.
The Fife
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So people's friends are 0-fer on killing dangerous snakes.
ttha_aggie_09
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The Fife said:

So people's friends are 0-fer on killing dangerous snakes.


I would say most people that kill snakes they think are venomous, bat well below the Mendoza line.
The Original AG 76
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VaultingChemist said:

It moves somewhat differently from your typical rattlesnake in that it has a frantic, fast crawling motion when fleeing. It is usually much more prone to strike if provoked.....about three times as frequently as a diamondback, which is why I think they are more dangerous than the diamondback.
The old timers called them prairie ground rattlers.
Thats what I've always called them or just " ground rattlers".
But then again there is that " old timers" thing.....
Decay
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The Fife said:

So people's friends are 0-fer on killing dangerous snakes.
If these snake threads taught me anything, it's that. And also the camera angle on "12 foot snakes" is always a lie.
Fleff
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So last year i posted a video of a snake he let live for the same guy and yall said cottonmouth, so this year he decided to kill it first and figure out what he killed second.
 
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