Irrational Fears

© Photographer: William Wise | iNat Observation: 25123075 - Plain-bellied Watersnake; Walton County, Georgia. March 18, 2013.

There are creatures that lurk in the dark waters… creatures that make our skin crawl… creatures that evoke fear. But what is the source of that fear? Is it truly the long, slithering serpent itself that brings these untamed emotions to the surface? I’d dare say “no”. It may be the fear of the unknown that spikes the cortisol and adrenaline, triggering our emotions and driving our irrational thoughts.

The majority of the snake calls I receive through my animal control job are, in fact, harmless. Although every caller thinks they have a copperhead or “water moccasin” in their living room, ninety-nine percent of the time it turns out to be some species of rat snake or water snake.

Yes, the watersnake genera (Nerodia) are thick, heavy keeled snakes just like the Cottonmouth or Copperhead, and they too prefer and overlap in wet habitats. But a little bit of study of a few key features can turn someone’s uncontrolled hysteria into a mild caution. Both the Cottonmouth and Copperhead have vertically elliptical pupils; the water snakes have round pupils. “But I’m not going to get that close to look at its eyes!”, most people say. So studying the range of each snake and pattern is also a key to identifying.

But either way, stay calm, back off, and let it be. There is no need to go chopping off the head of a harmless creature because of an irrational emotion borne of ignorance.

Posted on March 18, 2022 07:12 PM by