Concern Over Snake Leads To Partial Closure Of Seattle's Discovery Park

SEATTLE, WA - For a few tense hours Wednesday, a venomous, non-native creature was stalking Seattle's popular Discovery Park. That is, until wildlife officials figured out that the snake they found was actually mostly harmless (unless you're a field mouse).

On Wednesday afternoon, the Seattle Parks Department reported on Twitter that a deadly copperhead snake had been found at the park. Copperheads are typically found in the southeast, a region spanning from Texas over to Massachusetts and down to South Carolina. They are venomous, and copperhead bites hurt, but the bites aren't typically fatal to humans.

Either way, the state wildlife officials later identified the critter as a corn snake, which are not venomous, but also aren't native to the Pacific Northwest.

Image via Seattle Parks