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Reptile Dysfunction, Covid Project Week 43 Day 4

Hah, you thought I was going to talk about little blue pills. No, reptile dysfunction. Reptiles are cold blooded and will actively seek out a warm surface to bring themselves up to a more active operating temperature.

 

Too often this happens to be the blacktop or concrete of a road or highway with less than satisfactory results. Driving along Jetty Road in Port Arthur, Texas early one morning, I saw this short fat snake in the middle of the road so I pulled over to offer it some advice.

 

I stomped my foot thinking it would move, but nothing. I stomped a little closer and it went into a defensive position, coiling to strike. I looked for a stick or something to use as a prod, but the road was lined only by sea grass and nothing substantial enough to gain my interest.

 

I found an empty beer can and thought if I rolled it into this snake it might get the idea, but no such luck. I gave up, took a few photos, and left it helpless in the middle of the road.

 

Had it not been a poisonous Eastern Cottonmouth (Water Moccasin), I would have been noticeably braver and not left it in harm’s way.

 

Too often I have seen cars swerve purposefully to flatten a snake, now that’s dysfunctional.

 

Picture of Eastern Cottonmouth, taken by R. Miller on April 22nd, 2017 at 7:48 AM

 

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Uploaded on May 16, 2017
Taken on April 22, 2017