[at-l] Snakes

[jmayer@rochester.rr.com (Jim Mayer)]

You know, that just doesn't sound like standard reptile behavior to me.

(1) snakes don't hunt in packs (for one thing, snakes swallow their food
whole).
(2) snakes don't hunt things bigger than they can swallow.
(3) I'm pretty sure that copperheads use a "find a good place and strike
when it comes by" style of hunting.  They just don't have the metabolism to
chase an adult mammal or bird.

If there were many of them in the area, and they were by the water, I'd have
to guess that they were water snakes... which are ill tempered,
semi-aquatic, non-toxic, relatives of the garter (or garden) snake.  Even
here, though I can easily imagine a water snake taking a duckling, I don't
think one would mess with an adult duck.

-- Jim

----- Original Message -----
From: <FLATers@webtv.net>
To: "Dawn Stringer" <stringdm@yahoo.com>
Cc: "Gary Buffington" <gbuffmd@bellsouth.net>; <pkinnetz@juno.com>; "AT_L
List" <at-l@mailman.backcountry.net>
Sent: Sunday, March 25, 2001 8:30 PM
Subject: Re: [at-l] Snakes


> Our daughter had a school field trip to Harpers Ferry last year. During
> thier lunch break, a few of them decided to sit by the water to eat. She
> said there were alot of copperheads nearby, 3 of which were aggressivly
> chasing a duck. The darned things took the duck down too. She said it
> dropped right over. They were "grossed out" and left the scene of the
> crime, so she didnt know if the reptiles ate the duck or not. But she
> seemed to think many of them were around the area. Of course, when the
> teacher learned of the snake presence, no other children were able to go
> over there. Wow....I REALLY dont like those things!
>
> Landslides
>
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