Florida Caverns State Park, Marianna Florida Apr 2009 | Page 2 | SouthernPaddler.com

Florida Caverns State Park, Marianna Florida Apr 2009

oldsparkey

Well-Known Member
Aug 25, 2003
10,479
123
Central , Florida
www.southernpaddler.com
One other thing to think about , The Cotton Mouth can and does strike under the water , above the water or level with the water and even on dry ground. :roll: One reason is they live off of fish , frogs , mice , rats and other small critters. I have cast a fly into what I thought was some fish ( Bream) striking and it was one of those suckers after a fish.

If you get bite here is what you can look forward to. It sounds like a lot of fun. :wink:

Death can occur up to several days following the bite, or in as little as two hours. In pit viper envenomation the average death occurs in two days. If the bite is inflicted in an artery, vein, lymphatics, or a nerve, death will occur in 30 seconds to 10 minutes. If the victim does not die within the first 10 to 30 minutes, you have excess of 12 hours to get to proper medical help; in most cases, severe complications or death will not occur if proper medical protocol is followed.

The cardinal signs and symptoms of pit viper envenomation include: burning pain (the commonest, earliest sign), puncture wound (50% of the time accompanied by a bloody ooze), swelling, skin discoloration, nausea and vomiting, minty, metallic, rubbery taste in the mouth, sweating, chills, numbness and tingling of the mouth, face, scalp, and wound site, ecchymosis and production of blebs and blisters, erythema and edema progressing from the wound site, weakness, vertigo, haematemesis epistaxis, muscle fasiculations, paralysis, shock, convulsions, loss of sphincter control, melena haematuria, and renal shutdown. Envenomation may include some or all of these symptoms, depending on the severity of envenomation.

For all the information ......
http://www.ask.com/bar?q=can+a+cottonmo ... snakes.htm

Chuck.
 

gbinga

Well-Known Member
Nov 7, 2008
736
2
Hoschton, GA
Kayak Jack said:
And, as Phil Harris used to sing, "And that's what I like about the South!"

We'll discuss the typical symptoms of severe frostbite sometime, wise@$$. :)

What Chuck just posted WOULD make you think twice about skinny dipping in a South Georgia pond, though.

George
 

grandpa paddler

Well-Known Member
May 25, 2005
243
6
76
WNY-land of exhorbitant taxes
gbinga said:
Bob,

Water headed copper back reticulated swamp constrictor
GBinGA

Another of the many good reasons I don't wanna live in the deep south.

Now, as for frostbite, rarely does it kill anyone; may lose an appendage, but not suffer the aforementioned agonies or die. Most of the frostbite cases I'm familiar with (I work winters at a ski area) are due to carelessness and stupidity. In other words, most people who get frostbitten are idiots.

Hypothermia, on the otherhand can kill you, but my understanding is that it is relatively painless. You shiver, lose your senses, fall asleep, your vital functions start to shut down and bingo... And you can suffer from hypoT in the south, too, it's not regionally discriminatory.

I'm really glad so many people like living in the south. Imagine just how crowded it would be if every citizen lived here in God's Country. And, as a born 'n' bred PA boy, I'm here to tell ya... God is a Penn State fan. There is no other explanation as to why the sky is blue and clouds are white :p :p :p
 

bearridge

Well-Known Member
Mar 9, 2005
3,092
4
way down yonder
grandpa paddler said:
You shiver, lose your senses, fall asleep, your vital functions start to shut down and bingo...
The Sparkanator done that two 'er three times. He got over most of it. He got a few of hiz senses back. [chuckle]

I dont know bout "vital". That kinda changes. [grin]

regards
bearridge

The more you observe politics, the more you've got to admit that each party is worse than the other.  Will Rogers