Ha! Most of the snakes around here are harmless. Although my wife, having grown up in Africa, is deathly afraid of them.I stepped on a snake last summer barefoot while out for a run. I screamed like a little girl and took off at a sprint.
Animal Encounters
- Thread starter pilotrunner
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NickW
Guest
I blame my fear of snakes to growing up watching Indiana Jones...
Ooh, ooh, I've got an animal no-one else has mentioned yet - I'd not long been running barefoot when I saw a seal! Definitely one to chalk up to being BF, had to run through quite a bit of water to get close to the sandbank he was on. ('scuse the over excitement, but my wildlife spotting is usually birds & the occasional rabbit - so I'm somewhat jealous of most of you!)
Being from the UK, where we only have one native venomous snake, I err on the side of caution when I'm out the country, but had to laugh when I came across one in Canada - we honestly both leapt away from each other (wasn't aware snakes jumped when surprised!), then turned & eyed each other up before going in our separate directions.
Being from the UK, where we only have one native venomous snake, I err on the side of caution when I'm out the country, but had to laugh when I came across one in Canada - we honestly both leapt away from each other (wasn't aware snakes jumped when surprised!), then turned & eyed each other up before going in our separate directions.
Snakes, frogs, deer, heron, turtles, a wild mink, and evil groundhogs. I take a camera and keep photos of the animals on my facebook.
NickW
Guest
Saw a snake walking up to my condo with my son. I don't want to project my fears onto him so I had to stifle my shriek and stand there pointing it out to him and showing him what a real snake look like. Gives me shivers just thinking about it. That's the one thing I hate about summers here, I'm always watching for snakes because they seem to come out in droves.
Sorry man, but if I saw a snake walking I would shriek, let alone if the snake was walking with my son....
I like it when my dog and I run by the dairy farm and the cows run along beside us. The dog likes it too.
i've startled deer, coyotes, rabbits, birds of course, and sent my dog after many wary squirrels.
having run with nick i can confirm he does scream like a little girl at the sight of a snake, which i have seen a few, even if it was a mistaken stick.
having run with nick i can confirm he does scream like a little girl at the sight of a snake, which i have seen a few, even if it was a mistaken stick.
We are being overrun by wild hogs...people are terrified.But I haven't seen them yet...don't know what why everybody is overreacting.
I see deer and foxes pretty often here in the UK, we don't really have any more exotic wild animals than those here.
I must admit, I'm scared of snakes too. Must have been Indiana Jones. They are completely harmless in my area, but there is just something about running into a 4 foot snake.I stepped on a snake last summer barefoot while out for a run. I screamed like a little girl and took off at a sprint.
We have lots of spiders but thats the only kind I've seen that the eyes reflect back... and the only ones I see on the road in large numbers. On the trail webs can be a problem, but obviously not on the road. Those guys will often climb up weeds and tall grass too, going out in the backyard at night with a headlamp and seeing the occasional pair of eyes perched at the tip of a tall weed on the edge of the garden or something, can be kind of freaky. I am a bit of a wildlife photographer as a hobby, I have tons of spider and insect pics and macros.
Nick I think snakes are cool but I bet if I accidentally stepped on one barefoot I'd freak out a bit too. Just not used to seeing them very often, let alone step on one barefoot! However I wouldnt scream like a girl about a stick.
Nick I think snakes are cool but I bet if I accidentally stepped on one barefoot I'd freak out a bit too. Just not used to seeing them very often, let alone step on one barefoot! However I wouldnt scream like a girl about a stick.
NickW
Guest
I think you are exaggerating Mike. It's only happened once with you, although I did shriek and jump. Funny enough, where I stepped on the snake was right in the same area.
As long as we're still on the subject of snakes, let me tell about the two run-ins I had with them while cycling through Africa. One was in Guinea-Conakry, while pedaling on a dirt road through a forested area. A thin brown snake more than a yard long leaped out at me just as I was passing over a dip in the road and nearly bit my ankle. Then another time in Tanzania I saw a thick white snake stretched out near the side of the road. I stopped for a closer look. I assumed it had been hit by something and was dead, although there were no insides coming out. I picked up a stick to give it a poke and just then it started coming towards me. Sh*t! I mounted my bike quickly and got out of there. One of two woman passing on the opposite side carrying firewood on their heads just laughed and said 'alive' in the local language. I later identified the snake as a puff adder, one of Africa's most dangerous snakes.
