I was bit by a Cottonmouth back in 2018 and had to recieve anti venom treatment. Spent several days in the ICU for observation. The snake did not attack me and showed no aggression whatsoever. I just happen to live 40 yards from a marsh like pond and the snake was hiding in the wheel well of my vehicle. I did not know it was there and it felt cornered and struck out of defense and defense only. These beautiful creatures get such a bad rap but are vital to the ecosystem.
Mingo is truly a hidden gem of a place. I spend a lot of time looking for birds and herps down there but have seen all sorts of other wildlife there too. Right now there is a Limpkin or 2 hanging around 1 of the auto tours. They seem to be all over the place in the past couple of years far outside of Florida. Did you ever do any research inside of Monopoly Marsh at Mingo? I'm curious if it would be worth the paddle north up ditch #5 to get into the main marsh. Might have to give it a whirl some time and look for rails, gallinules, or whatever else.
Thanks Ben, I’m glad you enjoyed it! Mingo is a really cool place with a northern location and a GA/FL kind of snake abundance! Though they didn’t get featured here, mud snakes are actually really common there too (which isn’t surprising given all the sirens)
The Mingo Wilderness Area looks like an incredible place to explore, another habitat that I had no idea existed in Missouri. I enjoyed hearing about your research with the Lesser Sirens, that’s really interesting stuff. You did a great job of demonstrating how reluctant Cottonmouths are to approach or be defensive towards a human, that is a point that can never be stated enough, same with the placidity of spiders. I really admire how respectful you are of your subjects and how aware you are of when it is best to let an animal go, that is an essential skill for any wildlife educator in my view. Great work as always Andrew! - Harrison and Evan
Thanks guys, Mingo is a really cool ecosystem with even more creatures and history I didn’t get in to! Most of the “bootheel” was swamp but they drained it and it’s all farmland now. They tried to drain Mingo too but it was too wet and swampy so now it’s a refuge with drainage ditches throughout lol. I appreciate the comments about my interactions with wildlife. I cut a lot out that did not show me interacting with snakes in a way that lives up to my current standards; my views on that have changed a lot in 10yrs! I think the way we treat and talk about wildlife in these videos probably matters more than anything else, in terms of what others take away from the video.
I was bit by a Cottonmouth back in 2018 and had to recieve anti venom treatment. Spent several days in the ICU for observation. The snake did not attack me and showed no aggression whatsoever. I just happen to live 40 yards from a marsh like pond and the snake was hiding in the wheel well of my vehicle. I did not know it was there and it felt cornered and struck out of defense and defense only. These beautiful creatures get such a bad rap but are vital to the ecosystem.
Mingo is truly a hidden gem of a place. I spend a lot of time looking for birds and herps down there but have seen all sorts of other wildlife there too. Right now there is a Limpkin or 2 hanging around 1 of the auto tours. They seem to be all over the place in the past couple of years far outside of Florida.
Did you ever do any research inside of Monopoly Marsh at Mingo? I'm curious if it would be worth the paddle north up ditch #5 to get into the main marsh. Might have to give it a whirl some time and look for rails, gallinules, or whatever else.
Did a lot of fishing at Mingo when I was young. Good memories.
Tyler Mac Mississippi is we’re I’m going too the big steam boat
This is the first I've learned of Mingo. And fwiw, I like the frame you used to use on your thumbnails
Great video man, what an incredible ecosystem! The clip of the Western cotton with you in the water was totally awesome.
Thanks Ben, I’m glad you enjoyed it! Mingo is a really cool place with a northern location and a GA/FL kind of snake abundance! Though they didn’t get featured here, mud snakes are actually really common there too (which isn’t surprising given all the sirens)
The Mingo Wilderness Area looks like an incredible place to explore, another habitat that I had no idea existed in Missouri. I enjoyed hearing about your research with the Lesser Sirens, that’s really interesting stuff. You did a great job of demonstrating how reluctant Cottonmouths are to approach or be defensive towards a human, that is a point that can never be stated enough, same with the placidity of spiders. I really admire how respectful you are of your subjects and how aware you are of when it is best to let an animal go, that is an essential skill for any wildlife educator in my view. Great work as always Andrew!
- Harrison and Evan
Thanks guys, Mingo is a really cool ecosystem with even more creatures and history I didn’t get in to! Most of the “bootheel” was swamp but they drained it and it’s all farmland now. They tried to drain Mingo too but it was too wet and swampy so now it’s a refuge with drainage ditches throughout lol. I appreciate the comments about my interactions with wildlife. I cut a lot out that did not show me interacting with snakes in a way that lives up to my current standards; my views on that have changed a lot in 10yrs! I think the way we treat and talk about wildlife in these videos probably matters more than anything else, in terms of what others take away from the video.
You do an excellent job at that!
Cool video man I enjoyed it
Thanks, really appreciate it!
@@lifeunderfoot4805 np dude
Very cool video, Andrew. The footage, especially that clip with the siren foraging, is awesome as always!
Thanks Ben! I will always have a place in my heart for Sirens after capturing so many (mostly) in freezing cold winter conditions - they are HARDY.