A North Georgia hike during a rainy Memorial Day weekend led to a run of snake sightings, with one wildlife creator encountering several copperheads and describing the largest as "bigger than than a normal adult timber rattlesnake."
What happened?
In a video posted on YouTube, creator @NKFherping went out into the mountains of North Georgia to look for snakes.
Throughout the trip, the experienced nature observer found several copperhead and rat snakes as he ventured throughout the forest and carefully flipped over rocks and pieces of tin.
One snake stood out. Next to a large piece of metal within tall grass, the creator spotted a massive copper snake.
For the video title, the creator concluded it was "the biggest copperhead I have ever seen."
The creator later noted that the snake was larger than a typical timber rattlesnake, which typically reaches three to five feet long. Copperheads tend to reach between two and three feet long.
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Other finds included two rat snakes under a large piece of cover and several eastern milk snakes beneath rocks, one of which was especially colorful.
While showing the snake's bright red markings, the creator said, "that is just awesome."
Why does it matter?
Several of the snakes were found under discarded tin, which serves as an artificial cover, trapping warmth and moisture. Human-made debris can unintentionally create ideal hiding spots for reptiles while also increasing the chances of close contact when hikers or landowners lift it.
Copperheads are venomous, even though they generally prefer to avoid people. When they blend into wet grass, hide under debris, or are in brush, a casual step off the trail or a careless hand placement while moving man-made objects can quickly become dangerous.
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While this creator was looking specifically for snakes, in general, when exploring natural areas, it's important to know what wildlife lives there so you can give animals plenty of space and help keep both yourself and the wildlife safe.
What are people saying?
People were quick to comment on the creator's findings.
One commenter wrote, "I have lived in the mountains of east Tennessee for 30 years, and that is the longest copperhead I've ever seen!"
"Good Lord! Copperheadzilla! That's borderline absurd how huge that is," another said.
Others commented that the creator should have had better protective equipment when handling venomous snakes.
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