Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Wes note: Dear Venom-people ... I would have also posted this in the VIper or Crotalis sub-forums ... but the ole newt guy can't remember where Mocassins' fit. respects, Wes

THE TENNESSEAN (Nashville, Tennessee) 08 June 06 Giant snake raises eyebrows - TWRA, professor question photo of dead cottonmouth (Larry Woody)
Photo at URL below: An unidentified hunter holds what appears to be a giant cottonmouth that reportedly was killed earlier this spring in West Tennessee
Is the snake a fake?
A photo of an unidentified hunter holding what appears to be a giant, deceased cottonmouth moccasin has been making the rounds around the state via e-mail, prompting shivers and speculation.
The highly-poisonous snake supposedly was killed earlier this spring in West Tennessee's Big Sandy area.
"It has generated a lot of interest, but we haven't been able to confirm if the picture is real or some sort of trick photography," said Dave Gabbard, spokesman for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency's Region I, where the snake reportedly was killed.
"Our field agents have asked around and so far they haven't come up with any information about it. That makes me suspicious, because if somebody killed a cottonmouth that big I think we'd be hearing about it. If it's real I'd like to have it mounted."
Dr. Floyd Scott, a professor at Austin Peay State University, has studied snakes for more than 30 years. He has viewed the photograph and said the snake is indeed a cottonmouth but questions its apparent gigantic dimensions.
"Most adult cottonmouths are between three and four feet long," he said. "The biggest I've ever seen was 5½ feet. The one in the photo appears to be twice that big. I suspect that it is being held out toward the camera, which would make it appear bigger than it really is.
"If it really is that big it's a monster, by far the biggest I've ever seen."
Scott said three species of poisonous snakes live in Tennessee: copperheads, rattlesnakes and cottonmouths. Cottonmouths are water snakes that prefer swampy areas. They are most common in West Tennessee and also inhabit some Midstate streams.
"I've found them on the Buffalo and Duck rivers, and in Cheatham and Montgomery counties," Scott said. "I've never heard of one in Davidson County, but they could exist there."
Of the three poisonous species, Scott said the rattlesnake's venom is the most toxic, with the cottonmouth's a close second.
The larger the snake, the more deadly it is because of the greater amount of venom it can inject. Larger fangs also penetrate deeper.
A cottonmouth the size of the one in the photograph could easily inject enough venom to kill an adult human.
Snakebites are relatively rare and almost never fatal nowadays, thanks to quick access to medical facilities where antidotes can be administered.
Fatal bites were more common — and more dangerous — back in the days when more people lived in remote areas and medical help was not readily available. Outdoorsmen can be at risk when they venture into remote areas where evacuating a snake-bite victim is not quick and easy.
Scott, who has never been bitten in his three decades of working with poisonous snakes, said cottonmouths generally are not aggressive and will retreat if given a chance. Most bites occur when a person accidentally steps on a snake or is agitating it.
"People start messing with a snake, trying to catch it or get it to strike, and the next thing they know they've been bitten," Scott said. "When you're in a snaky area, if you'll watch where you're going and use common sense you shouldn't have to worry."
Giant snake raises eyebrows

That is a big cottonmouth, but certainly not any bigger than they are known to get. Max is 6'2". That one is proabably not much over five.

Newtmonger: Being a pit viper, I think they would fit into the crotalid forum.

~~Greg~~

do the same setup and prove it's all in the perspective. Someone should take a picture of a 18" pigmy at their feet, and then put it on a 36" hook and hold it right up to the camera lens and make it look like a 4 foot long pigmy.
People just dont get that he's holding the snake way out away from his body. It's the same BS technology that Jeff Corwin uses to be chased by a 55 foot tall plastic dinosaur thats really only about 4 inches tall and right up next to the camera lens.
-----
Tom

"The more people I meet, the more I like my snakes"

Certainly a 6 foot cottonmouth is not unthinkable. They are very stout snakes, and the photo does not show much tapering toward the tail, but I don't see anything that looks impossible.

>>They are very stout snakes, and the photo does not show much tapering toward the tail,

Hold a dead snake by the middle and whatch what happens. The organs move towards the tail which will look almost as wide as the middle, almost right up to the vent. There might only be 3 inches of snake missing formt that photo.

>>but I don't see anything that looks impossible.

I do. Holding a 15 pound snake on the end of a stick with one arm which is already partially extented (which, to me, he is CLEARLY doing) is pretty close to impossible (especially while smiling over your beer-gut). Frankly, I wouldn't be too surprised if that snake is 3 feet long.

To me it looks incredibly obvious. I can certainly understand how the average person might be inpressed if they didn't think about it, but the wildlife oficer looking at it and saying he can't tell if it's a trick just blows my mind...

Actually, after blowing up the pic and paying a little more attention, in between the snake and the stick where the long sleeve of his blue shirt should be is this light colored area that looks to me like it was (very badly) touched up to help hide the fact that his arm is stretched straight out... I could be wrong, but something doesn't look kosher to me.

THE TENNESSEAN (Nashville, Tennessee) 11 June 06 Prosecution possible for killer of large snake (Larry Woody)
The hunter who killed what may be the biggest deadly-poisonous cottonmouth on record is reluctant to come forward because he's afraid he will be prosecuted by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.
It is against the law to kill any species of snake in Tennessee, even a poisonous one. Sonny Richardson, the TWRA's chief of enforcement, said killing a snake is a Class B misdemeanor punishable by up to a $500 fine and possible jail time.
However, Richardson said there can be extenuating circumstances in which killing a snake is permissible — for example, if the snake presents a threat or danger.
The giant cottonmouth whose photo has created a sensation around the state was killed by a turkey hunter earlier this spring in the Big Sandy area. The hunter said he was returning to his ATV when he discovered the snake coiled nearby and killed it.
Will the hunter be prosecuted if he comes forward?
"I can't say for sure," Richardson said. "Our enforcement officers are given a great deal of discretion. Decisions are made on a case-by-case basis, and I don't know all the details of this particular case."
Since 1974 it has been illegal to kill or capture any species of snake in Tennessee. Richardson said the law is intended to prevent professional collectors from capturing and selling snakes — or any other reptiles — as well as keep persons from destroying entire dens of snakes for whatever motivations.
He said there have been cases in which violators have been prosecuted.
"Snakes have their place, just like any other creature," Richardson said.
The photo of the monstrous cottonmouth has created a buzz in outdoor circles. One expert said if the snake is as big as it appears to be, it could be the largest cottonmouth ever recorded.
"The largest cottonmouth I've ever seen was 5½ feet long and this one appears to be almost twice that big," said Austin Peay State University's Dr. Floyd Scott, who has studied snakes for 30 years.
Scott said hunters, fishermen, hikers, campers and other outdoorsmen should be alert when in snaky areas, but as a rule snakes are not aggressive and bites are rare.
However, without prompt treatment a bite from a cottonmouth the size of the one in the photo could be fatal.
Prosecution possible for killer of large snake

It's head just doesn't look right...the back part seems too rounded. It looks more like a Crotalid head, than an Agkistrodon.