I am one who doesn't want to kill beneficial snakes and think hunters ought to know the difference and not kill all on sight. Wish i could say I practice that but honestly I can't tell a water snake from a cottonmouth. I would like to tell frined from foe. Anyone have some pics and info of common snakes we could use as a teaching tool?

Diamondback water snakes

yellow bellied water snakes.

cottonmouth

Notice the pattern on diamond back water snakes vs cottonmouth snakes. It is sometimes hard to tell because the snake may me shedding or may be dirty.

Diamond backed watersnakes can get prettey long, I have seen ones up to 5 ft, while cotton mouths tend to be shorter and fatter, not always though. DB waters snaks also have the habit of flattening their head to make it look triangular like a pit viper.

Yellow belied water snakes are pretty common around here in N TX and are easily misidentified for cottonmouths, I am guilty of killing lots of both types of the above snakes.

Water moccacins will swim on top of the water (as well other pit vipers) while water snakes bodies will be submerged more while swimming.

Cottonmouths tend to have a thicker body than water snakes. The head is more triangular as well.

Which one stinks when you cut it in pieces with a shovel?

any mistaking a copperhead for something else?
Ant copperhead pics?

Had a few people confuse this one with coral snake (Like I would let my boy hold a coral snake) This is a Texas Longnose snake.

copperhead


^^^Most watersnakes I have killed have a skunky odor, especially diamond back watersnakes.

This little guy just wanted me to pet him, and I did, with a shovel.

Was at the deer lease last weekend and not one rattler seen. We were litterally all over the lease. We filled 6 of the 9 feeders and cleared some of the mesquite along the senderos. I killed one scorpion and that was it. Got a lot of work done w/o being side tracked.