Venomous Snakes in Maryland - Poll

CrazySanMan · Apr 25, 2017

I've seen copperheads at Cunningham Falls but no rattlers.

Here's a copperhead I saw in Shenandoah National Park in the middle of the White Oak Canyon trail.

A Copperhead Snake by Dave, on Flickr

MattTheGunslinger · Apr 25, 2017

yes cottonmouths are in Maryland. I stumbled on to them on two separate occasions at the Gun Powder Park years back. Scared the crap out of me both times. .

tallen702 · Apr 25, 2017

Seems to me that cotton mouths in MD are similar to loxosceles reclusa in WV/MD/VA. Lots of people swearing they've encountered them, but without a single photo or expert witness to confirm.

davsco · Apr 25, 2017

ROBAR35 said:
That's it!

red to yellow, kill a fellow. red to black, venom lack.

MattTheGunslinger · Apr 25, 2017

Sorry I didn't stick around to snap a selfie with it or call up a park ranger. They both had the head shape, white mouth/fangs, and dark diamond pattern. I'm very confidant they were not northern water snakes.

snake-eye · Apr 25, 2017

There all in Annapolis.

Minuteman · Apr 25, 2017

CrazySanMan said:
As for the poll, copperheads and timber rattlers are in Maryland. I think Eastern Diamondback would have been a good distractor because they sound like they would be in Maryland. I've seen a lot of copperheads in Maryland and Virginia, but never a rattler.

....

That's the distractor I should have posted, good call.

Decoy said:
You forgot to list some of the most poisonous snakes in Maryland.....politicians.

Yep.

Matt said:
yes cottonmouths are in Maryland. I stumbled on to them on two separate occasions at the Gun Powder Park years back. Scared the crap out of me both times. .

Matt said:
Sorry I didn't stick around to snap a selfie with it or call up a park ranger. They both had the head shape, white mouth/fangs, and dark diamond pattern. I'm very confidant they were not northern water snakes.

I saw a snake flopping along the edge of a pond in central Maryland last year, didn't get a good enough look at it, but it's color and size made me first think it was a cottonmouth. I'm guessing it was a water snake through.

outrider58 · Apr 25, 2017

ROBAR35 said:
Oh they are definitely in NC, but there we call them water moccasins. I personally have never seen a coral snake there but was always taught as a kid the rhyme to differentiate between the coral and the king snake. Yellow before red or something like that.

Red touches black, friend to Jack

Red touches yellow, kill a fellow.

Minuteman · Apr 25, 2017

Jump ahead to about 8 minutes for the difference between a water snake and a cottom mouth.

ROBAR35 · Apr 25, 2017

outrider58 said:
Red touches black, friend to Jack

Red touches yellow, kill a fellow.

That's it buddy :thumbsup:

3paul10 · Apr 25, 2017

I don't care what they are....they paralyze me.....

SummitCnty · Apr 25, 2017

Definitely rattlers in the mountains along 15.

Kiwiknoll · Apr 25, 2017

Maryland hog nosed snakes are endangered because they look like rattlers and shake their tail against leaves to simulate rattles. Wonder if the watershed could be ho e for some of these....?

highli99 · Apr 25, 2017

Walking down a trail and hearing that rattle start shaking is a crazy experience. The reptilian brain takes over right away.

I ran into this Timber rattler in Shannandoah VA but they are definitely in maryland too.

I asked my wife to get a stick so I could catch it but of course she refused and instead I decided to move along without bothering it. probably for the best.

I see a LOt of copperheads around my house but I am 1/4 mile from Patabsico River.

StickShaker · Apr 25, 2017

Here's a MD Timber. Well close enough, my access road starts in MD but he happened to be a short distance on the PA side. I almost fell flat on my face by misstepping to keep from stepping on him.

llkoolkeg · Apr 25, 2017

Kiwiknoll said:
Maryland hog nosed snakes are endangered because they look like rattlers and shake their tail against leaves to simulate rattles. Wonder if the watershed could be ho e for some of these....?

No idea if present but I have not personally seen a hog nosed snake there though big black snakes are not uncommon. Any regular trail users in the 'shed have likely seen Timbers, though, and almost all of my biking buddies have, sometimes with me along. Since '96, I have seen them crossing trails, sunning themselves, just going about their business and even once run over by a vehicle and dead lying in the middle of Fishing Creek Road. For some reason, I seem to encounter more Timber Rattlers in the Frederick Watershed and more Copperheads in Cunningham Falls(even though adjacent parks), though the CF Ranger Nature Center personnel have a nature spotting log there and can readily speak to their incidence of encounter.

t84a · Apr 25, 2017

This thread is why I don't hike.

3paul10 · Apr 25, 2017

t84a said:
This thread is why I don't hike.

I never wanted to hike. Now, I really never want to hike.

cb1980 · Apr 25, 2017

this is why I hike in late fall and winter, but used to do more hiking and biking when I was younger and probably not nearly aware as I should have been

remodeler1 · Apr 26, 2017

Copperheads & timber rattlesnakes unquestionably.
Cottonmouths haven't been documented north of the Dismal swamp & having followed herpetology closely for 40 yrs & with all due respect I have never heard of anyone suggest that Eastern Massasauga rattlesnakes were indigenous to MD. I'd be interested in info concerning that

Venomous Snakes in Maryland - Poll

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Which are venomous and inhabit Maryland?

Cottonmouths or water moccasin

Rat snake

Copperhead

Coral snake

Timber rattlesnake

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