About five months ago, Missouri Wildlife shared Facebook post, which challenged the cyber community to find what lies within the dried foliage. The post now goes viral.
The post captioned “This is why you have to watch every step in the woods,” left users puzzled, some insisting it was an optical illusion.
Followers, who asked for help in identifying the mysterious object in the image, commented, Another shared, “Amazing camo! I still haven’t spotted it & I usually can.”
Accordingly, Missouri Wildlife added another photo, which highlighted the slithery snakes. “once you see it you can’t unsee it, but I sure struck out without your marking it!”, a user writes.
Nestled in the brown leaves on the ground is a venomous Copperhead snake – one of the most common snakes in North America.
Copperhead is a venomous pit viper. It has coppery-colored triangular heads, with body covered in pale or pinkish brown skin that’s wrapped with several hourglass markings.
Though Copperheads are not as dangerous as some snakes, when they do bite, their venom contains hemotoxins which can temporarily destroy muscle tissue, attack the circulatory system, and cause respiratory problems. However, a copperhead bite rarely yields enough venom to k!ll, and they usually resort to biting to warn or fight a threat. Still, they make up for the lack of poison by piercing skin with their sharp fangs, damaging skin tissue.
When a bite is treated, it is reversible.
Copperheads–unlike many snakes that slither away when they feel threatened–freeze and camouflage into their surroundings, which is an impressive talent but a risky one.
They are so good at hiding that predators–including people, domestic and wild animals–can’t avoid what they don’t see and when too close, the snake strikes.
Recently, after finding three Copperheads hiding in the grass, a dog owner in Fairfax, Virginia, called K2C Wildlife Encounters.
On arrival, wildlife control used their eagle-eyed expertise to find the tricky snakes. Later, the rescue group launched a spot the snake challenge, this time posting two images.
The first picture seems to be lush green grass.
“Need to draw a red hat on it so we can do a Where’s Waldo.”, one user commented
The next image is a red bucket holding three copperhead snakes.
“Look what happens when you have copperheads in leaves,” K2C Wildlife Encounters wrote in a Facebook post. “Magic, they disappear!”
“Snakes are often demonized in the media, and then myths and urban legends play on those created fears,” Bonnie Keller, K2C Wildlife Encounters cofounder, said. “Snakes of any species are much less likely to cause you harm than a dog, horse, cat [or] even a rabbit.”
Keller urges people living in an area with snakes read up on snakes to be better informed.
“Learn about your local snakes so that you understand what they look like and where they are most likely to be found. Knowledge is power.”
In case you’re bitten by a snake, venomous or not, see a doctor immediately.
And keep in mind that though snakes are creepy, they still play an important role in the ecosystem. If you spot one, leave it alone, and if one is in your home, contact your local pest services.
It’s disturbing to know that copperhead snakes are so great at hiding! We agree that knowledge is your best weapon so make sure you learn about snakes in your area.
