Had this thought while setting traps yesterday, are beaver and otter susceptible to snake bites ? Seems like they'd encounter snakes pretty often on dam crossovers and lodges.

I would assume so as I've never seen anything that says otherwise but I highly doubt they get struck much if at all. Moccasins are pretty docile and not prone to striking out at things they can't eat or isn't actually hurting them. You pretty much have to step on one to get a strike reaction.

I've caught several otter over the years that had multiple snake bites around the shoulder/ neck area. Once I skinned them there were small abcesses where the fang marks were at. Otter looked healthy. Always been told that otter were immune to cottonmouth venom.

Jeepers! I’ll take -20 degrees any day! Keep those snakes away lol

Thanks, that was just one of those random thoughts that pop up.

Also, I would imagine that otter eat their fair share of snakes.
Sarge

Moccasins are pretty docile and not prone to striking out at things they can't eat or isn't actually hurting them. You pretty much have to step on one to get a strike reaction.

Your crazy, they bite EVERYTHING, why most times if you get bit by one it's a dry bite.

Otter's rip a snake to shreds!

Cottonmouth's seem to know the beaver is the care taker of his habitat, watched a beaver repairing a dam one evening that a cottonmouth was sitting on, beaver shoved the cottonmouth all over pushing mud and leaves and the snake never offered to bite him. Plus every beaver lodge is FULL of cottonmouths! So the two seem to get along well together.

About 15 or so years ago, an older trapper that lives out here fairly close to me was setting a trap on a lodge and got bit on the hand by a cottonmouth. He survived the immediate bite but his health really declined and he died just a few months later. It is believed that the snake bite is probably what caused his suddenly declining health and death.
Rickey

Jtrapper, I grew up running the same waters you did. Stepped all around them had my hands within reach more that I should have and never once has one offered to strike. Lots of grinning at me but that's about it.

I have had them strike at me at several feet away while charging and striking the air to within tater rake distance. That has happened only a few times but most of the time they just sat there grinning at me.
Rickey