Haha like the other dude said, Water Moccasins (AKA Cottonmouth) and Coral Snakes are two common amphibious snakes you don’t want to fuck with. Can be life threatening if you’re in remote areas and go without treatment.

Also like the other dude said, definitely do a little research about the dangerous animals in your region if you’re new to the South. The nature there is absolutely beautiful but some of it can be quite dangerous to humans/pets. We get taught all this in school as kids so never really occurred to me that, yeah, adults new to the area should def learn it too.

In general if you’re not sure, just leave it alone and be aware of your surroundings. Never try to handle or scare a predator unless you absolutely have to. If it suddenly becomes quiet in the woods, heed the warning and slowly move away, as I’m sure you know as a Canadian about large predators. Also figure out how to identify poison oak, it’s a motherfucker to get rid of haha.