Snake population

[macedonia mule man]

I’ve noticed the snake population in southeast Louisiana is down to a minimum. What happened? In the 70 thru the middle 90s the snake population was sky high, in my area mostly water snakes and cottonmouth. Very seldom see any now. I believe the gators are taking care of them in the water and the hogs are doing it on high ground. Gator and hog population is sky high here now.

[Goose]

I’ve read quite a few articles last few years where rattle snakes are evolving in areas of high hog populations, they are evolving to not have rattlers as a means of survival, I thought it was an interesting subject and never thought a lot about it, last year or so over here where I live around Angie just north of Bogalusa I’ve personally killed several rattlers over 5’ long and none of them had over 2-3 rattlers and a button, snakes that large would normally have a tail full of rattlers, and these snakes were big fat and healthy, the pearl river swamp here is known for the enormous rattlers killed years ago, as well as directly across river in Marion county ms, seems more rattlers are killed on the ms and there’s quite a bit with no rattlers at all, I do know the swamps around here are getting thick with gators, they’re even showing up in the piney woods...

[lawdawgharris]

We have a good many rattlers around here too. They still have resonable rattles but many of them won't rattle at you anymore. I think its evolution from the threat of predators like mule man says. I still see quite a few cottonmouths, but we don't have gators right here in our immediate area, thank goodness.

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