In a video that some would see as nightmare fuel, a wild (non-venomous) snake emerges from a pond only to eat directly from the hand of the cameraman.

The man in the video is Tim Jones—a retired zoo director who regularly feeds these water snakes in a private pond area in Texas.

WILD NON VENOMOUS DIAMONDBACK WATERSNAKE REMEMBERED ME FROM LAST SUMMER AND SWAM RIGHT UP TO ME AND CRAWLED INTO MY LAP FOR A SMALL PERCH. THIS YEAR I HOPE THEY WILL TELL ME SOME OF THEIR SECRETS. I TALK TO THEM BUT THEY ARE DEAF TO AIRBORN SOUNDS. THIS IS ON A PRIVATE POND THAT I OWN. PLEASE DO NOT FEED WILD ANIMALS IN PUBLIC PLACES, IT WILL ONLY GET THEM KILLED. LOTS OF PRETTY NON VENOMOUS WATER SNAKES. ( NOT COTTONMOUTHS ) THEY ARE VENOMOUS AND CAN HURT YOU BAD OR EVEN KILL YOU. LEARN THE DIFFERANCE.

 

Jones warns viewers that while plenty of water snakes are non-venomous, there is also a venomous variety that can hurt you or even kill you. He also reminds viewers that these snakes are on private property, and they shouldn't be fed in the wild.

Basically, don't feed snakes by hand—or by anything for that matter.

 

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