I have the following.
1. Black bears. I ran into 3 of them last year one needed to some encouragement to get off my driveway.
2. Bob cats.
3. A mountain lion was hit by a car however the DEP says (as always) it was just passing through. What to England?
4. Rattlesnakes up the wazoo.
5. Alligators when I camp in the Big cypress swamp and glades but that's far down south.
6. Fishers.
7. Coyotes. Lots of them. Sometimes they're so yippy I want to kick them but they always keep away.
8. Panthers aka mountain lion in the Big cyprus. So elusive and rare I have little hope of seeing one.
9. Skunk ape. Not proven by science but I believe. Well want to anyways.
10. Cottonmouth.
11. Copperhead.
13. Coral snake.
I camp down south in addition to up north so get a wider range of critters. However what do I despise most of all? Mosquitoes, black flies, gnats, no see ums and ticks. They actually intent to attack me, the rest would just as soon avoid me and always do. All of them are just fine so long as you're not either incredibly unlucky or intentionally/accidentally put yourself in harms way. I hate those bugs!
As for the rattlesnakes I have been given a pass multiple times when my hands and feet got too near by mistake. They don't always rattle which can be bad but mostly don't want trouble which is very good. I am too big to eat and a fight might end badly for all involved. I think around 25% of the bites are dry and that number would influence the mortality rating lower than it could be. Seems toxicity testing is based on mice but we aren't mice. A big Eastern diamondback or timber especially from a population which has a more potent venom (it varies greatly between geographic areas) full hit is bad. The fangs are very big and they are pit vipers which gives them another advantage. Around the world lots of pit vipers make it to the top of the you are screwed chart and not because they're the most toxic. It's all a game of chance really. A bite can be nothing or a world of hurt but the total mortality numbers won't reflect that. A very dangerous full hit by a very toxic local population gets pulled in with a dry or mild hit. I guess it's probably similar with other areas of the world as well. Why not with other species as well? Don't know about King Browns or Tiger snakes as they don't live in my hiking/bushcraft range but bet not all bites are created equal with them either. The only numbers that matter are yours. So really it's all relative.
Whatever the case be it the glades or outback don't put internet BS to the test. Leave them alone. Most people are injured attempting to kill or handle them. So not doing either of those goes along way to avoid trouble. Personally the truck drive there is more dangerous than the snakes. Drunks and people who text when driving are really really dangerous.
Ok here is an interesting point about most snakes. Many do a fantastic job at blending into the environment. Notice the breakup pattern on this timber I encountered. Head black, body has a pattern and tail is black. The colors can also be yellow morph or more solid. The tri breakup works at a distance to fool the mind's eye. You can see the snake but might not "see" the snake. It happens to me so why not others as well?
Going.
Going.....
Gone......... I am within potential strike range and it's so hard to see.
The tail also matches the log as it passes over, the breakup matches the sun, leaves and shadow. I am pushing my luck and the critter made it known. LOL!
No harm and we both headed in opposite directions. Still had miles to go.
