A Florida teenager is recovering after being bitten in the face by a water moccasin. 
 
 The bite happened last Saturday, according to investigators with Florida Fish and Wildlife, two days after Austin Hatfield, 18, captured it in his girlfriend's yard in Wimauma. 
 
 One of Hatfield's friends, Jason Belcher, was there when it happened. Belcher said the snake was initially in a pillow case. 
 
 "He took it out, put it on his chest and it was acting funny, and it jumped up and got him," he said. 
 
 The snake lunged at Hatfield, biting him on his mouth. 
 
 "He ripped it off his face, threw it on the ground and he started swelling up immediately," Belcher said. "It was pretty frightening. We've done a lot of stuff together. This is the one thing that scared me the most." 
 
 Hatfield was in critical condition, but was later upgraded to good condition, a Tampa General Hospital spokesperson said. 
 
 Family and friends said Hatfield needed several antivenin treatments. 
 
 "[Doctors] said that they had to ventilate him so he could breathe because of the swelling. And that was the first thing [I thought] -- is he going to make it?" said Gina Bailey, the mother of Hatfield's girlfriend. "I was very worried. I know that these snakes are very, very poisonous." 
 
 Hatfield did not have a permit to possess the venomous reptile, and he captured the Water moccasin illegally, according to FWC spokesperson Officer Baryl Martin. "People without the experience shouldn't be handling these types of animals." 
 
 "Any type of venomous reptile, besides posing a danger to himself, he could pose a danger to other people, injure other people, that's the whole reason that we have the [permitting] process," Martin said. 
 
 Investigators said the snake was euthanized in order to identify it and treat the bite. 
 
 Water moccasins are also knows as "cottonmouths" because of the white coloring inside their jaws. They are typically two to four feet long, heavy-bodied snakes with heads wider than their jaws. 
 
 They are pit vipers that have heat-detecting pits between their eyes and nostrils. They can detect temperature differences as small as one degree from their surroundings -- which allows them to strike their prey very accurately, according a fact sheet from the National Zoo. ||||| An 18-year-old Wimauma man is recovering at Tampa General Hospital after he was bitten on the lip by a cottonmouth he was keeping in a pillowcase on his bed, officials said. 
 
 The snake, also known as a water moccasin, escaped from the pillowcase at about 11:45 p.m. Saturday and slithered across the stomach of Austin Lane Hatfield, said Gary Morse, spokesman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. When Hatfield tried to recapture it, the snake bit him, Morse said. 
 
 A bite from a cottonmouth can be deadly; its venom usually causes massive swelling. 
 
 Hatfield was rushed to the emergency room. 
 
 “His condition has improved today and he is expected to recover,” Morse said. 
 
 Hatfield had captured the snake sometime last week and was illegally possessing it, Morse said. Because cottonmouths are venomous, a state permit is required to keep them. 
 
 The Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is investigating and Hatfield could face charges, Morse said. 
 
 The snake was captured and euthanized so a proper identification could be made, he said. 
 
 A spokeswoman for Tampa General said Tuesday that Hatfield and his family asked that no more information be released about his condition. He and his family declined to be interviewed or share photos, the spokeswoman said. 
 
 The cottonmouth, a member of the viper family, gets its name from the cotton-white interior of its mouth. When threatened, the snake often coils and opens its mouth. They are the only venomous water snakes in Florida and are usually found in swamp-like habitats. Adult snakes are dark in color and can grow to between 2 and 4 feet. They have broad, triangular heads and a dark stripe that runs through their eyes. There is a deep pit between their eyes and nostrils. 
 
 Those who come across the snakes should give them a wide berth, Morse said. 
 
 “It really doesn’t want to eat you, but it will protect itself,” Morse said. “Cottonmouths have a reputation of being somewhat skittish when you get near them and they will readily defend themselves.” ||||| A king cobra has reportedly escaped from its owner in the Orlando area, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. 
 
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 The escaped king cobra was reported Wednesday by its owner, who is a licensed and bonded to care for exotic animals, but the snake actually went missing Tuesday, officials said. 
 
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 The privately owned, non-native, venomous snake was reported to have escaped from its cage at a home at 4858 North Apopka Vineland Road in Orlando. 
 
 "It wasn't deliberately let out from what we can see. Looks like it escaped its cage it was in," said Capt. Chris Roszkowiak of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. 
 
 The snake is approximately 8 feet and is green and yellow. A permit is required to possess a king cobra and owners are required to report escaped animals immediately. 
 
 The owner, Mike Kennedy, is an exotic animal dealer and star of the Discovery Channel reality show "Airplane Repo." Officials said he could face criminal penalties for not telling authorities about the escape immediately. 
 
 
 
 Officials believe the snake is likely to stay close to home in a densely wooded area. 
 
 Clarcona Elementary School, which is a half-mile from the house, took extra precautions because of the snake threat. 
 
 “We are moving all outside activities, including P.E. and recess, inside. And we will be relocating our portable classrooms into the main building,” Clarcona Elementary School Principal Robert Strenth said in a voice message to parents. 
 
 An Orange County Public Schools representative said Clarcona Elementary School was the only school affected by the snake search. 
 
 Parents and neighbors are especially wary. 
 
 “They need to do something about these types of animals around the schools,” said parent LeRoy Bell. “It’s troubling. If I (didn’t have) to pick my son up today, I was going to come down and get him anyway.” 
 
 Bell said sex predators have to be a certain distance from schools, so should dangerous animals. 
 
 
 
 "I'm going to go load my guns. Well, they're already loaded, but I'm going to have them ready for sure. I mean, that thing's big enough to take you down for sure," said James McLeod, who lives nearby. 
 
 Officials said Kennedy is a licensed and professional snake hunter, but neighbors said more regulations need to be put in place when it comes to keeping dangerous animals as pets. 
 
 “No snakes in the home, period. Snakes belong in the snakes’ environment and leave them there,” neighbor John Roberts said. 
 
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 FWC officers and staff are actively searching the area for the snake. If members of the public come across this snake, it is advised that they do not handle it and instead report the sighting to the FWC's Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC (888-404-3922). 
 
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– "People without the experience shouldn't be handling these types of animals." This revolutionary statement of the obvious on venomous snakes comes to us by way of a Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission rep in the great state of Florida, where one Austin Hatfield might take that to heart. As MyFox Tampa Bay reports, the 18-year-old captured a water moccasin in his girlfriend's yard last month. A few days later, he had the reptile in a pillowcase on his bed. Says a friend: "He took it out, put it on his chest and it was acting funny, and it jumped up and got him." Specifically, it bit Hatfield on the mouth. "He ripped it off his face, threw it on the ground and he started swelling up immediately. We've done a lot of stuff together. This is the one thing that scared me the most." Hatfield's face swelled dangerously, but he's recovering. The snake, also known as a cottonmouth, was euthanized so Hatfield's bite could be treated, adds the Tampa Tribune. Further, Florida requires a permit to possess such animals, and Hatfield had no permit.