One thing that drives me nuts is how people assume all snakes that live in or around water are Water Moccasins. North TX snakes can be difficult to ID. It also did what a lot of snakes do as a defensive strategy: it excreted a noxious smelling liquid. DIAMONDBACK WATERSNAKE. The lake itself is 18,622 acres and has a maximum depth of 190 feet, and it is known for its lack of sandy beaches, rocky banks, steep cliffs, and bluffs, and its nudist beach, called Hippie Hollow. Mysterious Universe is a property of 8th Kind Pty Ltd, Recent Mutant Shark Catches: a Two-Headed, an Albino and a One-Eyed Albino, Assorted Bizarre Tales of People Abducted by Fairies. I have seen beaver, nutria, deer, coyotes, bobcats, dogs, cats (yes, cats), goats, sheep, mules, horses….etc, ad nauseum, swimming in rivers and lakes before. The best way to identify these snakes is up close, but it is not recommended to run up and grab a snake without knowing exactly what kind of snake it is. While hognose snakes are adept at burrowing, if they are caught out in the open, they have almost no real defenses. All are beneficial in that they keep rodent populations in check. The snakes like the protection of brush and grasses, it makes them feel secure. Distribution of Diamond Back Water Snake (non-venomous). Lake Travis was born in 1937, when the Mansfield Dam, originally called Marshall Ford, was built by the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) at Austin, Texas, for the purpose of controlling floods and providing a water source for the community, and the dam itself is a hydroelectric power plant that generates power for a good portion of central Texas. This species will relax after handling and can be gentle once they have had time to calm down. Keep a 15-20′ wide strip mowed around your pond, lake, or river front. PLAIN-BELLIED WATERSNAKE. Diamond Back Watersnake The Diamond Back Watersnake is the largest of the three species I am going to talk about. You may have bought your ranch or lot all because of that pond that sits at the back. The three most common Texas Water Snakes I have come across are the Diamond Back Water Snakes, the Blotched Water Snake and the Water Moccasins. Tags Bizarre cryptid Cryptozoology ghosts lake lake mysteries Monsters of Texas mysterious places Texas UFOs unexplained phenomena. However the Diamond Back Water Snakes range is generally all of Texas, except most of west Texas and the Panhandle (, How can you identify the non venomous Diamond Back Water Snake from the venomous Western Cottonmouth. There are some characteristics that can help identify them without being right next to one (see the table below). After handling one for a few minutes it will generally calm down and stop biting. Head about the size of both my fists. Typically light brown, yellowish, or olive. © Copyright 2008 - 2020 by My Passion Media Inc. You Say You Want a Revolution? Older adults have a nearly black appearance with faint markings. The star of the show is a lake monster said to inhabit the lake, who is sometimes affectionately called “Ole Hippie.” The description of the mysterious beast varies, with some saying it looks like a huge fish and others saying it has more of an appearance keeping in line with the classic Nessie image, but whatever it is seems to be out of place in a manmade reservoir. Harmless. The creature has become a sort of running joke in the area, where it is often mentioned tongue in cheek, but there are nevertheless plenty of sightings of something strange here in the lake. Keep wood piles, garden hoses, swim toys, etc. “Chain like” markings readily visible unless covered with algae or silt. They eat fish, frogs, crayfish and anything else around the water. Snakes play a key role in any ecosystem as they are both predator and prey. There are of course unconfirmed tales of ones even bigger than this, and there have been reports of divers encountering catfish down there as big as cars, leading to speculation that these monsters have had something to do with the inordinate amount of drownings and disappearances that occur here, with around 20 such incidents within the last 5 years alone. I have personally captured well over 300 water snakes in the time I have spent hunting reptiles. In this last encounter, the snake was so heavy that I thought somebody had sneaked up behind me as I hiked alone and had put their arm on me, so I was much relieved to find out it was only a snake. While the garter snake is often seen in gardens, around the lakes and ponds here in Austin one is more likely to encounter the blotched water snake (Nerodia erythrogaster transversa) and diamondback water snake (Nerodia rhombifera rhombifera). It made us think twice about the safety of this lake. It is worth noting that the lake is absolutely full of catfish, some of which are known to reach enormous sizes, with the record for the lake being a 54.78 lb. Rough Earth Snake Video. I regularly catch Blotched Watersnakes around 4 feet long. Photos of common North Texas snakes. The photo shown at left was taken at Sea Rim State Park, along the Texas Gulf Coast, where water moccasins may be easily viewed. These snakes co-exist with the Diamond Back Watersnake. You may have chosen your home site or your vacation spot around our most precious natural resource, fresh water. Despite popular opinion, these snakes do not hunt many fish. Most Common North Texas Snakes. As our population continues to grow, and people continue to move into 'pristine' and 'untouched' areas, encounters with venomous snakes are going to occur. This was a big snake. The dam holds Lake Austin on one side, and Lake Travis on the other, and they are both reservoirs more than an actual lakes, but this has not stopped the stories of strangeness orbiting Lake Travis, and although very obscure, reports of monsters and other weird things have come in from here over the years. On occasions, specimens are known to take advantage of small fish trapped in shrinking pools that were drying out from a summer … BROAD-BANDED COPPERHEAD. Roughly estimating only about 25% of Texas actually has the venomous Western Cottonmouth. One witness said of her encounter: We have been swimming (before we knew better) and we saw a BIG “thing” cut through the water near us, it looked like a guy in a wetsuit, only big. What do you think the photo shows? The blotched water snake on the lily pads pictured at left was photographed in one of the ponds at Zilker. Find out how to tell the difference between a water snake and a water moccasin and what a yellow bellied water snake, black water snake, blotched water snake and a broad banded water snake look like. They are frequently mistaken for water moccasins or cottonmouths, not only because of similar appearance, but also because they are aggressive if caught or molested. It is still a beautiful snake, being very smooth and glossy, and I was fortunate to find one out in the open while hiking in dried-up Barton Creek. The creature is described as being around 50 feet long and moving fast, and the witness says: The water was just murky enough that I couldn’t make out any features, and it had to be 20 feet below me, but it was moving slowly and then sped up and took a sharp right and then took off like you wouldn’t believe. Mark Pyle. Keep wood piles, garden hoses, swim toys, etc. Both species eat the same diet of fish, amphibians and crawfish. The red segments of this subspecies have so many black specks mixed in that it appears maroon instead of bright red. The Coral snake which is venomous also has round shaped eyes. This final trick looks very convincing, with the tongue hanging out loosely and the snake lying on its back. The range of the Western Cottonmouth in Texas is limited to east Texas, areas around Dallas/Fort Worth, southern shorelines, some of the Hill Country, and parts of the Edwards Plateau. There are four kinds of venomous snakes in Central Texas: the coral snake, the copperhead, cottonmouths (water moccasins) and rattlesnakes. Luckily, the Texas water moccasin, or cottonmouth, is the only poisonous water snake in the United States, making it easier to identify when you know what you’re looking for. Besides giant snakes, there have also been reports of outsized alligators lurking in the muddy waters here, with the rumor being that they are the result of escaped or released exotic pets and some of the reports mention true behemoths mearuring 10 feet and up gliding through the lake. Limit the amount of debris touching the ground. Water Moccasins also have a cat shaped pupil. Water snakes. Their … Harmless. The three most common Texas Water Snakes I have come across are the Diamond Back Water Snakes, the Blotched Water Snake and the Water Moccasins. There are several species of water snakes in Texas. They usually stay hidden and in fact are a burrowing snake that feeds on lizards and other snakes. By knowing the identifying characteristics of the venomous Western Cottonmouth and the non-venomous Diamond Back Water Snake you can feel more at ease at your pond, lake, or river front. Also called a worm snake, it looks quite a bit like a very lively, large earthworm. We will talk more about it and the various species of water snakes below. Coral snakes eat mostly other snakes and small reptiles and are members of the same family of snakes as the cobras of India. There have been plenty of other sightings as well. In my 20 years of fishing on Lake Travis, I’ve never seen anything like this. Somewhat timid, has many warnings before striking. WESTERN RATSNAKE. Although it might be a backwater, little known area, Lake Travis seems to have drawn some unusual and relatively obscure accounts to itself. Most Common. Of those 300 I have only come across 4 Water Moccains. There are many snakes whose preferred habitat description includes water. The witnesses gave a report to the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON), and claim that they did not see the object at the time, but rather noticed it later when they looked through video they had taken. The Body The largest feature you can identify first is the body. While we don't have adequate habitat for very many snakes within the confines of our own yard, I have often found them in other gardens and parks around Austin. The snakes like the protection of brush and grasses, it makes them feel secure. There are four venomous snakes in Texas: coral snakes, copperheads, cottonmouths and rattlesnakes. If they are living there, they are much more secretive than the common water snakes, which can be seen basking on tree roots and rocks all along the shore at times. Texas Snake ID. My wife thinks I started drinking early in the morning, but let me tell you that I didn’t have a drop of alcohol until after this sighting. As it could not gain enough traction to move anywhere on the slippery tile, I'm not sure how it got where it did in the first place. One snake that is very venomous (it is related to cobras), but not dangerous considering that it has a small mouth and is very nonaggressive, is the Texas coral snake (Micrurus fulvius tenere). The scarlet king snake can sometimes be mistaken for a coral snake, but the shape of their heads is quite different and the order of red, black and yellow bands is also distinct (although I can never remember what it is specifically).

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