Eels, Mountain Lions, And Cooperhead Snakes In Otsego County!
Is it me or do we keep hearing about critters being discovered in Otsego County that we didn't know were here? We've been hearing local tales of Mountain Lions (Aka: cougars) for a few years now and it took awhile for the New York Department of Environmental Conservation to conclude that Cougars are living around our area.
Then, someone I know revealed that his neighbor, whose property borders the swampy area near Oneonta railroad tracks, had a Copperhead snake on his property. I had no idea that there were Copperhead snakes in New York State but according to www.copperhead-snake.com, this venomous snake can be found here!
Add in the recent discovery by SUNY Oneonta interns of an American Eel while doing research in the Susquehanna River near the base of the Cooperstown Dam at Otsego Lake. How in the heck did this ocean dweller get here?! Who knows but what I want to know is, what else is here that we don't know about? Is it me or is the world getting smaller and smaller in terms of invasive species making their way around and non-indigenous animals and more showing up? This wild world of ours is getting wilder!