Thank you so much for this!! Raised on the NC coast, my dad used to go catch all kinds of snakes & sold some to the local zoo! It was amazing as a child, riding in the front seat with a few venomous snakes hissing in tied pillow cases in the back seat!! Ah, the 70's...no seat belts, no helmets, snakes in cars... Yep, those were the days😂😂
Thank you. You created an easy to follow video and as I was watching, I wondered if you might also consider posting a similar video highlighting the "non-venomous snakes" of NC along with reasons why we may want to avoid kiling or maiming them. It is nice to be able to recognize them walking or hiking or working in the yars. milka / loving life
I will also add my reply to that request. Harmless snakes are killed all the time due to misidentification. If we use the outdoors we need that knowledge too.
Gotta love those danger noodles, it’s great you covered all the amazing snakes that live in NC. The knowledge you have in this video is amazing! Great video, excited to see what you have in store next.
@@williamsporing1500 Actually there is a snake over in places such as Thailand called the Red Keelback. It's a rear-fanged venomous, but also secretes a very dangerous poison from its neck tissue. A big part of its diet is the infamous Cane Toad!! When it eats these toads, the snake sends all that nasty poison into sac-like skin on its neck. These snakes don't get bothered much bc they are deadly if eaten!! Bc they are making use of the same shit that it got from the Cane Toad.
Well YOUNG MAN , i am Almost 60 years old , and have lived in NC for almost 40 years , and I have lived allll over NC , and I have learned a few things FROM YOU , about what is in my state , and I thank u ,and please keep up the good work ,👍👍👍
Thank you for another fine & informative video. Shared to my FB. I'm trying so hard to get friends & family to educate themselves instead of continuing to believe that all snakes are bad & dangerous. I love your enthusiasm & how obvious it is that you truly love our wiggly friends. And I almost always learn at least a little bit from you even though I've been trying to educate myself for a long time now. Keep up the wonderful work!
Really glad to hear that you enjoyed this video and are helping spread the word. I really appreciate your help! Thanks so much for your continued support of my content and vision.
Thank you but still scared. Great information. I have been wanting to move to NC around Lake Norman area and we will be camping in an RV there in May. What are the chances I will see a snake? Do they really inhabit neighborhoods and towns/cities? What are the chances of not seeing them and stepping on them? What can we do to relax and not be worried 24/7?
There's a great chance that you will encounter a snake near a lake in May, but there's a low chance you don't see it unless you are walking in incredibly dense vegetation or leaf litter. Just be aware of where you are stepping!
I probably only see five with any consistency, but that's how it is with most places. If you do ever make it out here and really want a black rat snake or the incredibly rare Northern water snake (that's a joke, they are disgustingly common), just let me know!
Report any sightings of Eastern Diamondback rattlesnakes to your nearest state wildlife officials to be documented. They are listed on the endangered species list in North Carolina and only 6 sightings in the past ten years all in Onslow County Camp Lejeune NC .
Love those venomous guys! We supposedly get cottonmouths where I live, but I o let ever see the rare copperhead. Summer expedition to get a coral or pygmy?
Yeah I rarely see copperheads here, even in excellent habitat. I would go vegan for either of those, but don't know where to look. I'll have to do some research and maybe we can plan an expedition.
Can you show us the colors of venomous snakes when they are young? Do they change colors throughout their lives as they mature? IE: Is a Copper head always copper color? Maybe go to different zoo's and show us the color in younger snakes. Since moving here to Easter NC next to Pamlico River, I have Black snakes, Racer snakes, and Grey snakes around my house quite often. Because of your videos I am getting much braver to pick one up someday......well except the Racer, I don't like how it bites and shakes it's head to rip your skin. lol.
The rhyme about Coral Snakes only applies to North American Coral Snakes. There are Coral Snakes in South America that have red touching black, but are venomous. Great video!
Wow it's crazy that those are the exact same 6 species of venomous snakes we have in FL! though as far south as where I am we don't got copperheads or timbers, which are the most common ones to find in NC. Cottonmouths are the only ones I encounter on a regular basis, to find rattlers and corals you gotta look in specific habitats
Yeah, that is pretty neat. I'm actually surprised that there aren't any invasive venomous species in Southern Florida. I still need to make a cottonmouth video haha
If you see a snake on a tree branch or log more than a few inches from water sunning its a harmless water snake . Cottonmouths may get on a half submurged log a few inches out of the water but normally they stay on or near ground or water level.
I grew up in Eastern NC, somewhat near the Outerbanks on the north eastern part of the state. Two things I want to mention. Over my entire lifetime, I have seen a skin shed from an Eastern Diamondback in Bertie County, but only once, and I did not see the snake itself. I have also seen a corn snake, with a color pattern very similar to a coral snake. (Also in Bertie County) The scarlet king snake isn't the only one that it could get mixed up with by untrained individuals. Everything else was pretty much spot-on.
Note: cottonmouths and banded water snakes only live together in North Carolinas coastal plains was mistaken meaning that's the only place in North Carolina they're found together, they're also found together in general in other southern states.
Someone posted a pic of an Eastern Diamondback heading into some brush around the Hampstead area not too long ago. I know they're still around but very scarce. Last one I personally seen was 30 yrs ago as a kid. He was a big boy long in the tooth.
The coral snake 'rhyme' is worthless and dangerous if used outside the southeast U.S. as the color banding shifts to different patterns the farther south and west you get. So Virginia or south Carolina it works, Texas and Arizona you may get nailed by a hot one not following the 'Rhyme'
No Coral snakes Micrurus fulvius Eastern Coral snake Elapid family range ends in Southeastern NC. The rhyme isn't reliable due to melanistic and albino specimens of Coral snakes also multi colors of aberrant Coral snakes.
About ran over a timber rattlesnake last night out at a 220 acre nature preserve with mountain bike trails. I looked down as I was going over root with big trees on each side and as I passed over noticed the back half of the snake which was just out of the way enough for me to go around it while I lifted my legs. It had more yellow in its pattern but very distinct markings that set off alarm bells the second I noticed it. I put my bike down and tried to see it and make sure it wasn’t ran over because it’s in a blind spot till you corner but it was gone. The snake gods are looking after me I almost ran over a 3 ft copperhead blocking a bike path around a corner and was spared then just last week raked a 1.5-2 foot copperhead out onto my shoe which made my heart stop but it slithered away as I leaped back. I’m a landscaper and love snakes but I like venomous ones with more distance then my last few encounters 😂 and I’m not one of the “it was a copperhead” people talking about garter snakes😂
Hey, this was a great video and I met you at Umstead Lake a few years ago and so glad your channel has grown so much 👏👏👏 I have only seen the copperheads and water snakes in my area and a rat snake on my deck in the early summer (June).
If you ever get a chance to do a more detailed video on the variation of color in cottonmouths compared to what nonvenomous water snakes look like, that would be wonderful.
Gotta love “Nope ropes”. Great vid, found it after trying to wrangle a Rat snake on my porch, already browsed through and took the time to re-educate myself on the snakes of NC, and to learn how to pick them up. I kinda feel like a jerk with how I treated the one I had. All in all, thanks for updating me on what I may find in our state, Boy Scouts was a great beginners course, but you put it into far greater perspective. Again, good video, keep it up! 👍🏻
Great video, Ben. So well compiled and presented. Thanks for all the work you put into this. I camped NC a couple times and absolutely loved it. A herping paradise! There were a ton of Black widows in October which was pretty cool. Too bad all my footage back then was analogue. Also, I like your id keys, too. TTYL!
@@TheWildReportOfficial It was in The Great Dismal Swamp area. October is when I found all the widows. I went again in May I think. This was ten years ago, though.
I love the Deuteronomy verse in your bio. I live in Richmond county north Carolina you should see the timber rattlers we have here I've got a 6foot one that lives under my house in the country lol. I have also finally got to see my 2nd eastern diamondback rattlesnake here. I am 38 years old and I seen one when I was 8 when I was walking with my grandfather at the country house it was crossing the road and I finally got to see my second one last month it was also crossing the road. I think they must be almost extinct here in north Carolina so seeing my second one was special. So special infact I had to turn around and watch him or her till they crawled out of the road safely. I hope they find a mate and bring their population back here strong because they are truly a beautiful sight to see.
Report any sightings of Eastern Diamondback rattlesnakes to your nearest state wildlife officials for documentation. Only 6 sightings in the past ten years all in Onslow County Camp Lejeune NC . Take photos and give the exact location to your nearest state wildlife biologist for verification.
Thanks for this video. Im sharing to my Nextdoor group because they are akways trying to kill or harm snakes and every snake they see is "a Copperhead". Knowkedge is power...and maybe saves a few of the 36 ither species we live among.
In regards to the timber rattle snake, explain to people why their eyes are like that. I think it is important for people to know they are much more likely to bite when they are getting ready to shed because their vision is so severely impaired. And . . . . good for you for doing these video's!
@@TheWildReportOfficial I will be sure and snap one the next time we see one up there. The last one I saw was as big around as a man’s forearm. They eat well on the river up there.
The Gadsden flag features a timber rattlesnake according to every source I can find except this video. Timber rattlesnakes are evolving to not rattle. When they rattle, humans notice them and often kill them. When they don’t rattle, humans don’t see them and just walk on by.
5 years I had a copperhead and western diamondback. After 2 years my copperhead was extremely tame where I could handle him freehand every single dayy. He would never ever bite me.The rattler on the other hand would bite me in a blink of a eye if he could.
I’m from Enfield NC and I hunt and also a farmer I spend most my time outside in the deep woods lol. And I promise you we’ll see a diamond back before we see and other rattle snake. And I see a copper head almost every day . I kill one every other day so 🤷🏾♂️
Don’t use the rhyme to identify a coral snake. There variations in color and pattern of all snakes as well as variations in shade if the bands (I.e. light black and very dark red).
Really only four because all of the rattlesnakes are the same species. Different type of rattlers are only subspecies. Not different species. So this video is not very scientific.
I have seen a coral snake 4 1/2ft back in 2007 on the bank of the Cape Fear River in Erwin, NC. My dog and I walked up on it and it never even stopped to look. Just watched it slither away. Kinda startled me but was really cool
Great video. I visited a friend in eastern NC and upon arriving to their property, they were standing near a pygmy, approximately 50 feet from a large water source. It was such a tiny snake. Gorgeous, but really small. We watched it for about 15 minutes and walked away and let it do its thing.
I came across a snake last fall in central North Carolina. It was dark flat gray with single red pinstripe off center on its back, its head was large triangle venomous shaped. @15 inches long and thick, I cannot find anywhere an ID that matches this snake. any ideas?
@mikevi33023 Copperheads,Cottonmouths and Rattlesnakes are pitvipers in NC which are venomous with a triangle shaped head because of the venom glands being located behind the eyes none of them have a red stripe running down their backs. The only venomous snake that has a red collar that is venomous is the Eastern Coral snake Elapid family of snakes with a small blunt head that is black before the eyes that has red,yellow and black bands not stripes . There are 37 species of snakes in North Carolina only 6 are venomous with no new species of venomous snakes in North America . Edit collar replace with red color. Copperheads have Hershey kisses patterns and the Cottonmouth is similar but not as visible. Timber/Canebrake rattlesnakes have chevron marking on their backs and the Eastern Diamondback rattlesnake has diamonds on their backs . The only venomous snake that is left is the Carolina Pygmy rattlesnake that lives in the Coastal plains and long leaf pine forest of NC with sometimes red and black mid dorsal spots depending on the region they are found.
@@mikevi33023 Eastern Garter snakes average 3ft can flatten their heads and bodies to make them appear larger and have pin stripe running down their backs. Suggest you look at a picture of that species of nonvenomous snakes.
Only if you get too close. They have to feel threatened to bite. It’s not like they are going to run a person down to bite them. I have plenty of experience with them.
This was great Ben, I didn’t know that Eastern Diamondbacks or Eastern Corals made it up that far north. I imagine that NC is the northernmost range for them, and the Cottonmouth as well. We do get Timber Rattlesnakes and Northern Copperheads in PA, but I’ve never seen any myself. You presented great tips on how to identify these guys, and I think a lot of people will learn from this video and be a lot safer and more respectful of both venomous and nonvenomous snakes now that they know what to look for. Amazing work as always! - Harrison and Evan
NC is pretty unique because it is the northern range for many herps of the Southeast like gators, EDBs, corals, and cottons. Thanks so much for the kind words, really glad that you enjoyed!
Coral snakes and Eastern and pygmy rattlesnakes live in the Southeastern portion of North Carolina. The cottonmouth range goes all the way into Southeastern Virginia Great Dismal swamp region. It extends all the way up to Central Virginia the city of Hopewell along the James and Appomattox River tributaries.
Very helpful video for folks. I used to hope I would see an Eastern Diamond back or Coral snake in the Croatan Forest but I never did. I live down the coast in S.C now. Maybe I will sight one down here.
When I was growing up, besides black snakes taking care of rodents that they also kept copperheads away. We live next the the Potomac River with tons of rocks. When my parents built the house the contractor dug up many copperhead dens and we had them coming into our garage, so we did keep a flat nose shovel next to the door. I live near the Potomac and I have a boatload of black, ring neck, garter, rat, and brown and ……
Yeah those two species don't always seem to like hanging out in the same areas, I'm sure there is some predation going on or at least intense competition for food.
Eastern Diamondback rattlesnake are on the endangered species list in North Carolina . If you have seen a EDB take a photo along with the exact location of the sightings and give it to your nearest state wildlife officials for documentation . There have only been 6 verified sightings in the past ten years all in Onslow County Camp Lejeune NC. Timber/Canebrake rattlesnakes have a wider range than the EDB all rattlesnakes are protected by law in North Carolina.
Rattles tell you how old the snake is. The one showing that's an old veteran. Wow, been around awhile. Females are bigger then males, mate for life and known to travel up to 200 miles looking for their mate. Not a matter of relocating this guy on the other side of town. Couple states over, maybe.
Rattlesnakes grow a new segment every time they shed their skin which can be 3 to 4 times a year. You can't tell how old they are by the segments on the end of their tails. After rattlesnakes establish their den the farthest that they travel is 3 to 5 miles to mate.
Coral snakes are beautiful. My parents told me that rattlesnakes, while not mean, will NOT just get out of your way if encountered on a path. Large ones sort of have that "I ain't moving" attitude. Finally....copperheads will end up in your garage, under your porch, in woodpiles, and so on. Not a pleasant snake to have around.
Carolina Pygmy rattlesnake Sisturus millarias is found in the Southeastern part of NC and long leaf pine forest it possible that some can be found on Kings Mountains in Cleveland and Gaston counties but rare to find them there.
This is why snake specialists discourage using the rhyme. People get it backwards all the time and there are exceptions. Not a safe identifying technique.
This young man thinks he's an expert or what...only 4 venomous snakes 1.Rattlesnake, covers all variations with the Mohave green as the most venomous 2. Copperhead 3. Cottonmouth 4. Coral This boy speaks too much, knows not enough
