Folks living in the southern United States should expect to encounter a snake. It can be on land or in the water. A good rule to follow is to treat all snakes as venomous. There are dangerous snakes that resemble harmless snakes, and only the experts will know.
Years ago my husband stumbled over a twelve inch snake. He did not identify the markings as a “Copperhead”. He picked it up to take a closer look. The snake gave him a strike on the tip of the middle finger. This happened about 8 PM. He came in the house and cleaned the tiny wound and tried to forget about it. By midnight his entire hand was swollen. The throbbing was intense, and he refused to go to the hospital. I gave up and went to bed. Around 4 AM, I heard moaning as bad as a woman in labor. I convinced him to let me take him to the community hospital nearby.
When we arrived they saw him right away. Quickly the determined that he would need more treatment than they had available. He was transported by ambulance to a trauma hospital where he spent the next two weeks. He had surgery on his finger, took intravenous antibiotics and anti-venom. The snake was a juvenile and did not have control of its venom. It released all its venom in one strike.
Snakes are generally not aggressive unless they feel threatened. When the curl up and stick their head up, they protected their body and are getting in position to strike.
Snakes also curl when they crawl for balance.
Also, to grip onto a branch, a snake will curl.
Here’s two tips to remember from this post:
- Do not pick up any snake in the wild
- If you get bit by a snake get medical attention immediately.
Wow, two weeks in a hospital. Yikes!