water moccasin | leschalmers

It’s quite a drive across the flat cotton field country into the swamp that is Louisiana. I’m not being cruel here, the majority of the lower part of Louisiana is a swamp. It’s got hilly bits you can live on but basically it’s a swamp. I know this because swamp tour guide/boat driver, Charlie, told me and as it’s a sin (sorry once again bible belt) for a tour guide to lie it must be so.

This is my way of saying we did the swamp tour, saw the “gators” and had the free geology lesson. When I say “gators” they were really “gatorettes” at least by Australian standards. We did see a six footer (1.8 metres) which would still be snack food for Australian “salties”. Finally we found something we have a bigger one of in Australia. That’s good syntax y’all. Thinks to self “I fit right in here”.

The alligators in the swamps down here are a bit like our freshwater crocodiles, that is to say they are not as aggressive as salt water crocodiles. Charlie says you can swim with them and the real risk is the water moccasin or cotton mouth snake (agkistrodon piscivorus), which are also found in the swamps down south. Since I don’t have gills or scales, of any significant size at least, I’ll leave the swimming with the afore-mentioned nasties to “Chuck and the kids”.