Beachgoers shared the seashore with a venomous visitor Monday after a 4-foot cottonmouth was spotted at the water's edge on Grayton Beach.
During a routine beach patrol, a Walton County Sheriff's Office deputy was flagged down by beachgoers and told, "There is a cottonmouth on the beach," according to Corey Dobridnia, Walton County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman.
The deputy found a broomstick and persuaded the reptile to coil around it, Dobridnia said. He then placed it in the bed of his truck. The snake was unharmed and relocated to a rural location.
"It's not every day we see a snake or an alligator on the beach, but it's not uncommon," Dobridnia said. "No one should be alarmed by it. The snake was brought to a safe location where it won't hurt anyone."
The deputy, according to Dobridnia, said although he has seen alligators, he has never seen a snake on the beach during his two years patrolling the area.
