Nature
Brazos Bend State Park Shares Cottonmouth Snake Info Complete With Hissing Photos
The Brazos Bend State Park in Needville, Texas, southwest of Houston, recently shared a series of photos on their Facebook page that would stop many people’s quick internet scrolling habits dead in their tracks. They featured some up close and personal pics of a cottonmouth snake with its mouth wide open, ready to attack! It’s enough to strike fear in any Texan’s heart.
“The body is poised, and the mouth is wide open, exposing the whitish, cottony interior. The fangs are deployed and prominently displayed. If you think of the fangs as simply a delivery system for venom, how clever to have twin hypodermic syringes ready to ward off threats,” they write accompanying the photos (seen here).
In addition to using the posts as a means of education, the Brazos Bend State Park sees the sighting as a source of inspiration, as well. In the wake of Harvey, they’re glad to see nature resuming as normal, no matter how scary it may be.
According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department website, cottonmouth snakes (also known as Water Moccasins) normally measure about “3-1/2 feet in length, [and are] found over the eastern half of the state in swamps and sluggish waterways, coastal marshes, rivers, ponds and streams.” They prey on fish, and they’re very venomous, so these photos are the best way to marvel at these creatures.
