Knot of mating snakes discovered in bushes at NC Swamp Park. The photos are ugly

A tourist attraction based in a North Carolina swamp lived up to its untamed reputation days ago when a knot of snakes was found writhing in the bushes.

The Swamp Park & Outdoor Center, located along the murky Shallotte River near Ocean Isle Beach, posted photos of the knot on Facebook and identified the reptile revelers as brown water snakes.

“We captured a unique occurrence,” the park wrote. “This is a mating aggregate, a coming together of male and female brown water snakes where the males are fighting for mating rights. ... There were four in this ball and one was making its way over. Attracted to the strong pheromones no doubt.”

The Swamp Park, which encompasses 180 acres of trails, bills itself as a place where visitors can dangle by zipline over a wilderness area populated by alligators, venomous snakes and spiders, and wild boars.

Nonvenomous brown water snakes are plentiful at the site. The species’ odd courting style includes “groups of males” wooing a single female at one time, the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory in Georgia reports.

However, there is an element of intimacy not easily seen in their mating balls, experts say.

“Male brown water snakes will rest their heads on the backs of females until they allow the joining of their cloacal openings for insemination,” Animal Diversity Web says. “There are no set gestation periods for brown water snakes, so females can potentially mate with multiple partners before actually giving birth.”

Brown water snakes thrive in the southeastern United States and have an appearance that is strikingly similar to that of the venomous cottonmouths, the Florida Museum says.

They’re great swimmers and skilled climbers, and known to lounge as high as 20 feet up in trees, the Savannah River Ecology Lab says.

“If startled, they will drop from their perch into the water and may accidentally end up in a passing boat,” the lab says. “Brown water snakes do not hesitate to strike if cornered and can inflict a painful bite.”

This story was originally published April 24, 2020 at 8:04 AM with the headline "Knot of mating snakes discovered in bushes at NC Swamp Park. The photos are ugly."