Combating cottons from this afternoon...

It was quite a bit cooler today and apparently the low for tonight is supposed to be as low as 60 degrees here, so I decided to go out and try to get a lifer I've been hoping for since I moved to Arkansas from California a month ago... I haven't really gone looking for them because of the heat, but today it all worked out... and I didn't just find what I was looking for, I found my target in an incredible situation that I have never had the privilege of witnessing up close with any snake in the wild.

First though, maybe 10 minutes after arriving at my destination, I flipped this little guy...

Nerodia sipedon pleuralis - Midland watersnake
Combating cottons from this afternoon... 0825001833

Combating cottons from this afternoon... 0825001833

Combating cottons from this afternoon... 0825001833b

Anyhow, after a lot more walking along the creek and a lot of toads, we were walking along a trail with a rocky hillside on one side and the creek on the other, when we heard some rustling in the leaves amongst the rocks... When I looked over, this is what I witnessed...

Agkistrodon piscivorus leucostoma - Western Cottonmouth
Combating cottons from this afternoon... 0825001855

Combating cottons from this afternoon... 0825001855

I watched two large adult male cottonmouths in combat mere feet away from me for a good ten minutes. It's killing me only having my cellphone camera right now...

Here are a few more crapshots.

Combating cottons from this afternoon... 0825001857a

Combating cottons from this afternoon... 0825001857a

Combating cottons from this afternoon... 0825001857b

Combating cottons from this afternoon... 0825001857c

very cool pictures!

Thanks man.

Great Pics, its real nice to see that type of natural behaviour!

Hello Mike,

congratulations, great photos even with a cellphone. Must have been a great experience for you.

Thank you,

Rainer

Fantastic contribution.
Over here in SA Cottonmouthes are virtually worthless in terms of market value.
Its such a pity as people are missing out on cool snakes.
Thanks!

Congrats. You are lucky to see the battle up close. Thanx for sharing.

Regards, BKK

Thanks guys. It was an awesome thing to witness first hand, especially from only a few feet away. They had absolutely no concern with my presence. As they were combating and sliding down the hill, I actually had to end up moving out of the way since I was directly below them.

Marthinus C. Harmse wrote:: Fantastic contribution.
Over here in SA Cottonmouthes are virtually worthless in terms of market value.
Its such a pity as people are missing out on cool snakes.
Thanks!

From what I understand, cottonmouths don't have any market value anywhere, which is strange. Do copperheads or Cantils have any value in South Africa?

you would probably not even have to move out of their way when they are in this sort of combat.
I often was right in the middle of such action with different species of European vipers. In one of the places where I work with Vipera ammodytes (in front of a hibernaculum in spring) I often have about 50 specimens around me, most of them males in search of a female or fighting. They often crawl across my feet or bump at my legs during combat without mentioning me. I might as well be a small tree. The only thing I must be careful about is not stepping on one.

But still I have the same feeling as you had it, it is overwhelming.

Cheers,
Rainer

The only reason I actually moved out of the way is because they would have rolled literally against me and they were huge males... and I don't have health insurance. Hha. It was more of a 'just in case' thing. I didn't have any fear or anything, by any means.

I would love to experience something like this with Vipera sp... One day I'll make it to Europe. haha

Very cool an so lucky that you have seen that

This is a good series of photographs regardless of your concern about image quality. Cottonmouths are- at least in my view- a seriously underappreciated snake regardless of their monetary value in the pet reptile market place. Always great to see live, in situ, wild snakes; especially when they're behaving as they normally would despite Human observation. Thanks for posting this, Mr. Spencer. Sincerely, Jon Davidson .

You're welcome, John. I agree with you completely. Even here in the US they're underrated. They are a snake I've wanted to see in the wild though for as long as I can remember, and I just moved within range of them a month ago. It's an incredible treat to see them for the first time in such a way that I may never see again.

Guest

Hi there,

As I have 1.1.1 A.p.conanti at home (I put some pictures under the correspondant section in this forum), I'd give a lot of things to be able to see this in nature! It's a great pleasure to see those pictures for me. Thank you for this!

What a helluva good way to encounter your target species for the first time! Congrats man, I know that had to be sweet to be witness to.

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