snake id (finished skin pic added)

[mullet]

 Well, I tand corrected. We don't have Timbers down here where I'm at and most mocassins I see are dark and fat. Ken, you couldn't imagine how many people I've seen beat, shoot and stomp Banded Water Water snakes.

[ken75]

lol same here to most a snake is a snake

[JustinNC]

yep...water snakes of various species have triangular heads....not AS triangular as the pit vipers, but enough that the ignorant will kill them and claim cottonmouth.

That head looks like any and every cottonmouth head I've ever seen, or seen pictures of. Did you actually see the body, or was just the head left. A herpetologist from college taught us that the barring on the eye was the sure fire way to tell a cottonmouth, especially when they got big and dark/or muddy (although the body of a cottonmouth is almost unmistakeable as a large adult, most being FAT FAT snakes).

[NTD]

Justin that lone head belongs to a Timber/Canebrake rattlesnake. Again it's all about scale counts. Are you people not reading my posts? Scale counts are how biologists identify reptile species, not color, not pattern because those things can vary so much but scale counts don't vary within a species.

Oh yeah and the banding over the eye the majority of rattlesnake species have that too.  Copperheads CAN have it but then again coppers and mocs are so closely related they can interbreed. 

[JustinNC]

I believe you. Not doubting. Just wondering. Learning something new as I go. I wasn't a herp major...fish and wildlife management was my major....and snakes sure weren't my specialty, I know enough to know what they are when theyre whole lol.      I read over the posts, but musta missed it.

This is a "rare" NC timber, from western NC...Jackson County to be exact...2mi south of Sylva to be exacter ......I suppose one would know it was WNC rather than Central/Coastal NC since I said "timber" and not "canebrake"



EDIT: Oooops forgot to insert the image.

[NTD]

I'm viewing this from my phone so I can't see detail, but that's a gorgeous snake!  Wasn't trying to bust your gut Justin with that comment jvst messing around.  I should remember that sarcasm doesnt translate well on forums.  If you want to see ID confusion you should see our scutulatus and atrox.  Often the ONLY way to id them is scale count and then it gets really fuzzy when they hybridize Ahh

[beetlebailey1977]

Yes that is a Cottonmouth.  You can see the pit in front of the eye.  Not to mention the patterns and the head give it away.

[mullet]

 And you can tell by counting the scales. A real good site for snakes in our area of Florida and Georgia and Alabama is the University of Florida's. Great photo's and habitat info. People living in Florida would be suprised at how many different species of snake is here.