Wildlife & Related

[Hummer]

Found both these guys on Wed after mowing the grass (which had grown quite tall because of the rain).

First is an Eastern Yellow Bellied Racer. He was aptly named and lightning fast. Harmless and non-venomous. This one was actually quite long...about 3 feet...and very thin.

Second is an Eastern Hognose (aka Spreading Adder). Venomous, but it's very mild causing only local irritation and maybe mild inflammation around the bite site, and they (the snake experts at OSU) say they almost never bite humans. They go thru an elaborate process of pretending to be hurt or even dead when they feel threatened. This little guy opened his mouth really wide and rolled over on his back trying hard to play possum on me. He's trying to do his best cobra impression, I think, to convince me he's dangerous.

Hognose snakes are neat critters, usually gentle. The nose is upturned to a point which helps them burrow into the ground. Back when I ran the concrete plant for the Brush power plant, I found one under some sheet metal in a field. It raised up, exposed it's fangs and shook it's tail to mimic a rattlesnake. When I realized it didn't have tail rattles and that it's skin was slightly injured by the metal, I captured it and gave it to my cousin who kept a few snakes. HN as it was called, for Heterodon nasicus, the Western Hognose, lived another nine years in captivity.

I handled HN often and he would hang out in my shirt pocket with it's head looking out. My cousin raised mice and fed the pinkies to the snakes. One time I watched as he dangled a pinkie when HN struck his finger and cousin fainted and fell to the floor. Shock. He soon woke with zero after effects, no venom.