By Pauline Tom
The phone number to keep at hand for our Snake Rescue is (512) 393-1986. That’s Rick Thomas. Cover the snake and he’ll come by in the evening or on weekend to relocate the snake.
Rick will provide snake ID from a texted photo too. He answered back to me, “Hog-nosed snake” after I one-handedly snapped and sent a photo while holding KissMe at bay with sprays from a purple water bottle, stopping a canine vs. serpent battle.
KissMe’s rapid fire staccato barks put my eyes in line with him and an aggressive big-bodied snake making strikes at each other. “Brown with markings” made me think “rattlesnake.”
RonTom left purchases at the Home Depot counter and rushed home while I separated KissMe from the snake with water squirts. Up close, I saw no diamonds. But, it appeared to have a triangular-shaped head.
By the time Ron rushed home and grabbed his old fishing rod that’s rigged with a noose for snagging snakes, the text message with the snake’s identity had arrived from Rick.
“The hog-nosed snakes are absolutely harmless but put up a big fake aggressive act. They are really awesome. If aggression doesn’t work, they’ll roll over and play dead. They act mean but never bite.
They will flatten their heads and hiss loudly but still won’t bite. They are one of my favorite snakes. They eat mostly frogs and toads.”
We found two decapitated frogs last week. Rick said the snake could not do that. But, he mentioned that sometimes cats decapitate frogs.
I found a fascinating YouTube video that showed a videographer perturbing a hog-nosed snake to the point it feigned death. Even when he picked it up repeatedly, the hog-nosed snake stayed still and limp. Rick knows snakes.
Julia, a new resident in Mountain City, saw a hog-nosed mammal “with tusks” in a Live Oak Drive front yard last Saturday afternoon while jogging with her fiancée, Matt. To her, it looked like a “javelina”.
I learned (just now) that neither javelina nor feral hogs have “tusks”. They have protruding canine teeth that look like tusks. The word “javelina” comes from the Spanish word “jabalina” which means “spear”.
The javelina and the feral hog have similar characteristics, but they are not related. Feral hogs are true pigs, and javelinas belong to a totally separate family of animals. Javelinas are smaller, have an unnoticeable tail, and only one dew claw on the hind foot. They inhabit the same range in South and Central Texas.
Julia and I discovered we were wearing identical pink t-shirts. We had both just attended a ladies retreat at Fellowship Church with 73 others, but we had not seen each other until we met on Live Oak Drive.
Betty Puckett on Live Oak Drive says it felt like the doctor worked on her back with a trencher instead of knives and bone cutters. She’s working on jigsaw puzzles while recovering. Hope you feel better soon, Betty!
Have you “seen” my request for tidbits? Please send to ptom5678@gmail.com (subject: Tidbit) or 512.268.5678. Thanks! Love, Pauline
