Water Moccasins strike fear in me more than Rattlesnakes. A *lot* more. Water Mocs are aggressive, territorial snakes. They will literally chase you down to get you out of their territory, and they still might bite you for spite. They drop unexpectedly from trees along the bayous and in the swamps. I've seen them crawl into refinery laboratories, into electrical junction boxes, under cars in parking lots, and into private swimming pools (at least you can see them in those). They don't back down - ever. I'd rather face down an angry weasel than a run-of-the-mill water moc.

Rattlesnakes, on the other hand, will almost always retreat from you if they can. They rattle and make noise, sometimes, to let you know they are there. At least they warn you! Other times, they just scurry away. Rattlers are shy, retiring snakes unless, like any animal, you catch one completely by surprise. The biggest problem with Rattlesnakes, in my experience, is coming upon them while you are climbing steep slopes or free-climbing rocks. You almost always startle each other, and if the Rattler has nowhere to retreat, it *will* strike. Fight or flight instinct at work. I've walked/hiked alongside rattlesnakes several times as they sunned themselves, rode horseback over and next to them a couple times (not good, the horse spooking and throwing you is what gets you in trouble in that circumstance, not the snake, per se). I respect rattlers. They are beautiful and have a sort of dignity about them.

Its the Rattlesnake.. As it has 'better' PR.

In my little bit of the world I'm incredibly unlikely to come across either snake. So my fear isn't based on whats actually more likely to injure me as I think the chances of either one doing me any harm are around 0.000000000001% ( Lightning is far more likely strike me)

In fact I probably couldn't pick the Water moccasin out of a police line up with 5 other snakes.

However I do know about rattlesnakes, As a child they were a danger to the cowboys I saw on TV. They got as close as anyone to killing James Bond (Live and let die?) and appear in many thrillers. Its something about the 'death rattle' that makes then fantastically cinematic.

So my in built fear responses are tuned in to the fact that rattlesnakes extremely scary, but Water Moccasins are just as scary as any other regular snake.

Water moccasin. It's much harder to see, and more insidious.

Unless it's at night, rattlesnakes are usually highly visible and go out of their way to NOT attack you. I think there's some sort of insane statistic regarding rattlesnake bites and alcohol. That is, alcohol consumed. Also, the rattlesnake has a great warning system - the rattle!

According to my resource, the water moccasin "...is very aggressive and often will stand its ground when threatened." Since it's frequently in the water, it is difficult to spot.

To the best of my knowledge, they are equally venomous.

I wouldn't say either instills fear in me, but I have a bit of a grudge against the rattlesnake. Water mocassins are not indigenous to my area, but I've had several friends and family members bitten by rattlers. A friend died a few years back after struggling with the effects of a bite for over a year, and the symptoms were not pleasant. He spent weeks in intensive care with severe swelling and bleeding through his pores, for instance. This was, however, a very unusual case (poor Greg).

Since large rattlers are common on my property during the summer, I try to...reduce their numbers when I have the opportunity. They don't always rattle - my Dad used to say sidewinders in particular "bite first and tell you about it afterward." Often, both the snake and the victim are surprised by the encounter, and there is no opportunity for the snake to rattle.

So, it's the rattler for me. Besides, they're ugly and the smell funny. ;)