Young moccasins have a jagged pattern of contrasting light and dark orange or brown bands, but as the The Mysterious World of Mimicry Harmless snakes that mimic the color patterns of venomous species, such as the brightly banded coral snakes, have fascinated biologists for decades. Yet many snake-eating mammals and birds do give colorfully banded snakes a pass, even in areas where venomous banded species do not exist. Less perplexing is mimicry through behavior. Harmless snakes, including milk snakes, rat snakes, racers, and bull snakes, vibrate their tails against dry leaves to sound like rattlesnakes. Hognose snakes puff up their necks, hiss loudly, and strike at intruders with closed mouths.
Water snakes flatten their bodies and heads to simulate the sinister appearance of water moccasins.
Leave me alone. Heed their warning. Not for your sake, for they are capable of inflicting upon you nothing worse than a scratch. For their sake, because Earth will be poorer without them. They range throughout the Southeast as far west as Texas, preferring swampy areas where they feed on frogs, fish, rodents, and other snakes.