UPDATE: Deadly snake at Seattle park not so deadly Non-native reptile misidentified as copperhead by state officials

This copperhead snake was spotted earlier this week in Seattle's Discovery Park. Staff was working Wednesday with staff from Woodland Park Zoo to try and catch the wayward reptile. This copperhead snake was spotted earlier this week in Seattle's Discovery Park. Staff was working Wednesday with staff from Woodland Park Zoo to try and catch the wayward reptile. Photo: Seattle Parks And Rec Photo: Seattle Parks And Rec Image 1 of / 5 Caption Close UPDATE: Deadly snake at Seattle park not so deadly 1 / 5 Back to Gallery

UPDATED: What was thought to be a copperhead snake was spotted Monday at Seattle's Discovery Park, along the Loop Trail near the park's south bluffs, and parks staff was working Wednesday to catch the brown patterned snake. (Spoiler: It wasn't a venomous copperhead after all).

Parks staff was working in a roped-off area with staff from the Woodland Park Zoo after determining what kind of snake it was, said Kelly Brown, spokesperson for Seattle Parks and Recreation. Or at least what kind of snake they thought it was.

Seattle Parks and Recreation first learned of the snake Monday, when someone sent a report with a photo of the snake. Not sure what kind of snake it was, staff sent the photo off to the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, where it was confirmed that it was a copperhead, Brown said.

But in a tweet Wednesday afternoon, Seattle Parks said there was a "mix-up" by the state and the slithering visitor was actually a corn snake. Still not native and certainly not an expected visitor to the park, but hardly the threat to passersby of a copperhead.

"We are very happy to hear we don't have a poisonous snake on the loose in Discovery Park," Brown said. "But it is not native and we still want to have it safely removed."

Copperheads are a type of pit viper not native to the western U.S. but more commonly found in the southeastern states. Copperhead snakes often give a warning bite, releasing little to no venom. But a full bite from the snake causes extreme pain, swelling and nausea in humans. If bitten, a person should seek immediate medical attention.

Corn snakes, on the other hand, are known to be docile, reluctant to bite and subdue their prey (usually small) by constriction. They are a popular pet, actually.

Still, they are common to the southeast and central U.S. -- certainly not the West Coast.

Parks and Recreation was continuing to work with zoo staff to trap and remove the wayward reptile.

The Loop Trail remained open but an area along it by the sandy bluffs was roped off, Brown said.

Staff didn't know how the snake wound up in the park.

SeattlePI.com staff reporter Stephen Cohen also contributed to this report.