I'll see if I can find a good picture, Ah!, here's one I took at the zoo in Naples:
They can be darker, and usually one can just barely see the stripes on its back. You do not expect to go tromping through the woods to find this:
Now, at first glance this looks like a copperhead, a still venemous, but relativley harmless snake. Copperhead vemon is relatively low on the toxicity scale, and they rarely kill people. Usually its a young child that has been bitten by an adult. In fact, if a copperhead this size were to bite me, they (the hospital) would probably would just send me home.
This neonate however, is not a copperhead. It has several similar traits though. The "leaves in fall" colors, the yellow tipped tail it uses to attract prey, and of course, its coppery colored head.
There is however, one big difference. One defining feature that seperates it from a snake low in the toxicity scale, and puts it up there with the second mose venemous snake in Florida.
The eyestripe.
This beautifully colored snake my friends, is indeed, a water moccasin. A cottonmouth, not a copperhead.
Which is why you should always look over every snake carefully before handling. Every little detail counts.
Here's a brief blurb on the Water Moccasin, and a link to more information:
"Agkistrodon piscivorus is a venomous snake, a species of pit viper, found in the eastern United States. Adults are large and capable of delivering a painful and potentially fatal bite.[citation needed] This is the world's only semi-aquatic viper, usually found in or near water, particularly in slow-moving and shallow lakes and streams. The snake is a strong swimmer and will even enter the sea, successfully colonizing islands off both the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. The common names for the species include variants on water, swamp or black 'moccasin', 'viper', 'cottonmouth', and 'rattler'.[2] Many of the common names refer to the threat display, where this species will often stand its ground and gape at an intruder, exposing the white lining of its mouth.
The diet consists mainly of fish and frogs, but is otherwise highly varied and, uniquely, has even been reported to include carrion. The specific name is derived from the Latin words piscis and voro, which mean "fish" and "to eat".[3] Three subspecies are currently recognized, including the nominate subspecies described here.[4]"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agkistrodon_piscivorus
This snake is labled correctly as DANGEROUS and DO NOT HANDLE! I encourage you to not muck with this snake, and leave it for the professionals. Cottonmouth venom does kill, and while copperhead venom rarely does, I still encourage you to stay far away from these animals.
