Venomous snake found in high school football players helmet
Maumelle Animal Services
A high school student football player in Arkansas found an unsettling surprise in his helmet during football practice.
Nearly an hour after practice started, the student said he felt unusual movement inside his headgear, according to Maumelle Animal Services.
He took off the helmet and brought it over to an assistant coach to inspect it. The coach looked deep and found a 2-foot Cottonmouth snake tucked in between the padding.
Maumelle Animal Services
The backstory:
The snake did not appear to be bothered enough to come out, so animal service technicians who were called to assist had to submerge the helmet in a tub of water to try to force it out. It was later released into a wooded area.
Maumelle Animal Services
The undeterred player, with no need to prove he was a wimpy kid, grabbed another helmet and continued practice. The unexpected visitor did prompt the head coach to remind everyone to inspect their equipment before using it, since unwanted critters can sometimes crawl inside and make themselves at home.
RELATED: Deadliest animal in every US state revealed, from moose and bears to dogs
Cottonmouth snakes
Dig deeper:
A cottonmouth snake is a pit viper, capable of delivering a painful and potentially fatal bite to a human. They’re found in several portions around the southeastern United States. Adults usually exceed two and a half feet in length, with females being smaller than males.
If they feel threatened or handled in any way, they may tend to coil up and display their fangs.
Big picture view:
Statistics from the Bureau of Vital Statistics suggest that the snakes are not typically aggressive, but can strike when stressed. Bites in the lower Mississippi River Valley area and along the gulf coast are relatively frequent, but fatalities are rare.
The Source: This story was written with information provided by The Associated Press and Maumelle Animal Services. This story was reported from Orlando.