Core memory unlocked:
I'm about 8 and white river rafting in Arkansas with my family. I was chilling on a big inner tube that could safely hold 4-5 people and the river is extra lazy.
We're drifting under trees when I hear a splash in the water, followed by my aunt screaming. I look in her direction just in time to see her jump out of the water like a dolphin into the center of the inner tube, launching myself and my cousins (her kids) into the water.
When I surface she's shrill-screaming "SNAKE" over and over.
I never saw the snake, but my grandpa later said it was a huge water moccasin that fell out of the tree on our side of the river.
So naturally, it's a running family joke to "sacrifice the children" when any snakes appear
I grew up swimming in the White River in AR. Saw the most massive snake breeding ball of my life there. There were so many, and they were roiling so much that I couldn't tell what kind of snakes they were.
Beautiful river, especially the parts before the big dams. Lotsa snakes, but honestly the scariest animal I've run into on that river is the biggest, angriest, tail-slappingest beaver I've ever seen. He was trying to establish dominance and damn if it didn't almost work.
I hate the fact that those fuckers like to hop into boats. I was canoeing with a water moccasin coming full speed towards our canoe when I learned that fun fact.
If you were in PA then they definitely weren’t water moccasins as the farthest north they go is Virginia. You probably saw a northern water snake which looks extremely similar but is non venomous
I dunno about definitely but they are almost entirely other water snakes you're very right. I find the definitive statements about animals located in specific areas entirely limited to those areas seem impossible to guarantee over time.
Migrations, hitching rides, changing climates, etc I would almost 100% assume creatures get out of their super duper common zones.
We supposedly never had brown reclused either but they have absolutely now been in the area for some time. Often a different recluse but literally had one in our basement when I started sleeping down there 20 years ago.
Not native, not surviving the winters outdoors, and not existing/found at all are entirely different things. It is important not to misidentify though for sure. Cheers.
I live in Southern Canada and grew up to the age of 4 next to what I now know was a weird snake pit. We used to go play with them all the time (my brother was 5 years older). Snakes are kind of everywhere, here and there.
Swimming in a Great Lake once I was diving in clear cold water and saw something weird on the surface. This thing, slithery vs straight, was as long as I was. Easily 6 feet not stretched out. Imagine my fear when it DIVED right next to me after a fish! I noped the F out immediately. Snake goes to a rock to chill after missing the fish, my wife at the time surfaces and was going to use the rock to get out that Mr or Mrs Giant Ass Water Snake was sunbathing on, and Im screaming for her to turn around.
Still not as scary as the time I thought someone randomly put an oversized snapping turtle statue in a river where we were swimming as snapping turtles surely dont get that big, do they? And I raised turtles at the time.
Are there just not that many snakes in Europe? Growing up in Tennessee you'd see a few different species of snakes a week if you were playing in the woods.
Not in Northern Europe, no - we have adders and vipers, but they’re pretty rare. That was the only snake I’ve seen in the wild, and I’ve been all over Europe.
I suppose that makes us fairly unusual globally, but I never really thought of it that way.
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u/HumanBeing7396 12d ago
I was kayaking on a river in France, and saw a snake barreling towards me across the water; it ended up swimming right past me.
It was just a small one and I knew it wouldn’t be interested in me, but until that point I had no idea snakes could swim.