One Of Texas’ Most Snake-Infested Lakes Is Also One Of Its Most Underrated Vacation Destinations

Dwelling to over 115 totally different species and subspecies of snakes, Texas has essentially the most various snake inhabitants of any state in the US. Texas’ heat temperatures, habitat variety, massive dimension, and abundance of prey facilitate an immense snake inhabitants within the state. Lots of the water our bodies all through the Lone Star State host a plethora of snake species, together with Caddo Lake, a 26,800-acre bayou that sits on the border between Texas and Louisiana.

Caddo Lake is known as for the Caddo Nation, a Native American tribe that traditionally inhabited what’s now northeast Texas, western Louisiana, southwestern Arkansas, and southern Oklahoma till they have been forcibly eliminated by the federal authorities within the nineteenth century. In response to Caddo legend, the lake was shaped by an earthquake attributable to the Nice Spirit. The earthquake described within the legend is considered the 1812 New Madrid earthquake, which some geologists imagine may have created Caddo Lake. Different geologists surmise that Caddo Lake was shaped earlier by the Nice Raft, an enormous log jam that blocked the Pink River in Louisiana, as this doubtless brought on the close by low-lying basin to flood.

At present, Caddo Lake is an internationally protected space underneath the RAMSAR treaty attributable to its ecological significance. The wetland not solely incorporates the world’s largest cypress forest, however is house to plentiful wildlife, together with many species of migratory birds and over 70 species of fish. To protect the various wildlife within the space, Caddo Lake State Park opened in 1934, and later the close by Caddo Lake Nationwide Wildlife Refuge and Caddo Wildlife Administration Space have been established. Among the many protected wildlife in Caddo Lake are the various snake species that roam its waters, venomous and non-venomous alike.

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Many Snake Species Roam Caddo Lake

North American black racer (Coluber constrictor)

According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and iNaturalist data of reptile sightings in Caddo Lake Wildlife Management Area, Caddo Lake is house to no less than 26 totally different snake species. This consists of a number of species of water snake (Nerodia) which might be glorious swimmers and largely aquatic, spending most of their time in or close to water. A lot of the snake species present in Caddo Lake are proficient swimmers even when they aren’t water snakes, and will be seen navigating its waters. Nearly all of the snake species present in Caddo Lake are non-venomous, though there are a number of venomous species. The world has a various venomous snake inhabitants; Caddo Lake is house to elapids equivalent to coral snakes in addition to a number of species of pit vipers, together with rattlesnakes, cottonmouths, and copperheads.

Snake Species Discovered At Caddo Lake

A few of these species, just like the western ribbon snake, are venomous to their prey, however their venom just isn’t harmful to people. A lot of the snake species of Caddo Lake are innocent, which is why there have been no snake-related deaths within the wetland. Whereas Caddo Lake does include a few of the most venomous snakes in the U.S., snake bites are uncommon, and deadly ones much more so. Nonetheless, venomous snakes are nonetheless harmful and needs to be cautiously averted, particularly in Caddo Lake, given the realm’s various venomous snake inhabitants.

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A number of Venomous Snake Species Are Discovered In Caddo Lake

Northern cottonmouth (Agkistrodon piscivorus)

Cottonmouths, often known as water moccasins, and copperheads are in the identical genus (Agkistrodon) and are typically confused with one another. Cottonmouths (Agkistrodon piscivorus) are thought-about to have stronger venom, whereas copperheads (Agkistrodon contortrix) usually tend to chunk. In 2021, America’s Poison Centers reported:

• 2,287 calls associated to copperheads
• 1,187 calls associated to rattlesnakes
• 229 calls associated to cottonmouths
• 71 calls associated to coral snakes

One study states that round 25 p.c of the 8,000 venomous snake bites that happen yearly within the U.S. are from copperheads. The identical examine additionally discovered {that a} third of copperhead chunk sufferers had clinically important native results, highlighting that regardless that A. contortrix venom is taken into account to be much less poisonous, it’s nonetheless damaging.

Rattlesnake venom is taken into account extra poisonous than copperhead and cottonmouth venom. Caddo Lake is house to a number of species of rattlesnake, together with the western diamondback rattlesnake, which, together with the eastern diamondback rattlesnake, the deadliest rattlesnake in North America, is answerable for 95 p.c of snakebite fatalities within the U.S., according to one study. Whereas rattlesnake venom is lethal, the mortality price for chunk victims is low. Just one in 736 sufferers who are suffering a rattlesnake chunk dies, per one study.

Coral snakes are extra venomous than the pit vipers (rattlesnakes, cottonmouths, and copperheads) that roam Caddo Lake. Nonetheless, coral snakes are much less prone to grow to be aggressive when threatened than pit vipers. Rattlesnakes are thought-about extra lethal general attributable to their greater venom yield, environment friendly supply system, and larger propensity to chunk. Whereas coral snakes have venom that’s 20 occasions extra poisonous than rattlesnake venom, coral snakes solely inject about 2 p.c of the venom quantity that rattlesnakes do.

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Staying Secure In Caddo Lake

Caddo Lake State Park

Whereas venomous snakes will be lethal, bites are uncommon. According to the CDC, out of the 7,000–8,000 people who find themselves bitten by venomous snakes in the US yearly, solely about 5 individuals die. That is partly as a result of 25 p.c of pit viper bites are “dry”, which means no venom was injected, per one study. Like most wildlife, snakes typically want to be left alone and keep away from encounters with people. Nonetheless, it’s nonetheless essential to maintain a watch out for snakes and cling to security precautions when exploring Caddo Lake.

A study detailing snakebite cases from 2013 to 2015 on the North American Snakebite Registry discovered that within the case of decrease extremity envenomation, 27 p.c weren’t carrying footwear, whereas 64.3 p.c wore sandals or flip-flops. Thus, whereas having fun with Caddo Lake, carrying full-coverage footwear will assist keep away from snake bites. Nineteen p.c of bites have been additionally reported to have occurred following intentional human interactions with snakes, emphasizing the significance of respecting and sustaining a secure distance from wildlife. If one does encounter a snake, following the U.S. Forest Service’s snake safety guidelines will assist keep away from and deal with bites.

Nearly all of the time, a snake encounter at Caddo Lake might be innocent. Caddo Lake is a perfect go to for wildlife lovers, given the unimaginable biodiversity of the realm. A wide range of out of doors recreation is on the market at Caddo Lake as effectively, together with paddling, boating, fishing, mountaineering, and tenting. If one adheres to security precautions and maintains a respectful distance from wildlife, guests will doubtless keep away from harmful snake encounters and benefit from the surroundings and recreation of Caddo Lake.