:’) That’s probably what the mound is meant to signify, not a serpent at all. ;’)
Ohio Brush Creek is Ohio’s cleanest body of water and home to vibrant creek critters. Creek smallmouth aren’t as large as their lake cousins, but my grandson pulled a 3.5 pounder out last year. And they don’t want to leave the water. Really fun to land. Crawdads now, minnows later. Fly fishermen do really well if they can handle their lines in a brush lined stream.
The truth is that there are a lot of snakes along the stream, but the poisonous variety tend to be south of the terminal moraine of the last glaciation. We’re way too far north for moccasins, but copperheads and rattlers aren’t unheard of in mid to lower Adams County. So, egg eating non-poisonous would be common enough for those ancients to have witnessed.