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AUSTIN (KXAN) – As the summer months approach and temperatures rise, so too does the chance of snakes hissing out – or giving a dangerous kiss!
While snakes perform valuable functions in their habitats (more on this below), it’s important to understand what to look out for – for their safety and yours.
Many types of poisonous snakes make their home in Texas: here’s how to spot them and what to do if you get a nasty bite.
Pop icon Britney Spears dances with a python at the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards
Lonely star snakes
Rattlesnakes
According to Texas Parks and Wildlife, these snakes are some of the most common in Texas. There are 10 species in the state – including the Western diamond back, the most common venomous snake in all of Texas.
You can recognize a Western Diamondback by the brown diamond-shaped markings on its back and the white and black rings near the tail. They can get up to seven feet, says TPW.
A western diamondback rattlesnake (iStock / Getty Images Plus)
Other rattlesnakes include the timber rattlesnake, mottled rock rattlesnake, banded rock rattlesnake, and the blacktail rattlesnake – many are found in western parts of Texas.
This July 2019 photo of Charlton McDaniel of Fort Smith, Ark., Shows a copper headed snake eating a cicada in the Ozark National Forest (Charlton McDaniel via AP)
Copper heads
Copperheads can be found across Texas, with three subspecies claiming different territories.
The Southern copper head can grow to 20-30 inches long and is found in the eastern third of Texas. The Trans-Pecos copper head is about the same size and can be found in the area of its namesake. In the meantime it is Broadband copper head can be found in central and west Texas and can grow up to two feet long! No internet connection despite the name.
Cottonmouths
These are also commonly referred to as “water moccasins”.
These can be different shades of brown, green and even black. You can recognize them by different colored bands across their bodies. There is only one recognized subspecies in Texas: the western cottonmouth. This snake, TPW says, is the only semi-aquatic viper in the world that is a family of species of snakes.
The name of the cotton mouth comes from the white tissue that can be seen in its mouth, which can be seen when it is threatened.
A water moccasin climbs off a pavement on the Mississippi River Levee in the English Turn section of New Orleans in October 2015 (AP Photo / Gerald Herbert)
Cottonmouths can grow up to 3 1/2 feet long and are found in swamps, waterways, marshes, and other bodies of water in eastern Texas.
Coral snake
Texas Parks and Wildlife says this is the only snake in the state that is brightly colored: red, yellow, and black rings surround its body. Toxic Coral snakes are dangerous for several reasons, including because they look similar to other non-venomous snakes.
But there are ways to tell the difference – an old rhyme you may remember: “Red next to black-friend of Jack; Red next to yellow will kill a companion. “
Rings on non-venomous snakes, such as Texas Scarlet Snakes, also end near the upper body.
A June 2009 photo by biologist Mark Bailey shows a coral snake in central Alabama (AP Photo / via Conservation Southeast, Mark Bailey)
Coral snakes are generally not aggressive, but can give off a serious bite when threatened. They tend to eat other snakes and reptiles.
Snakes in your home
Nobody likes uninvited house guests. The Austin Animal Center previously reported that large numbers of snake calls were found in homes in the area during warmer temperatures.
A few tips that the center offers:
- Keep the lawn trimmed. Snakes love to hide in tall piles of grass and bushes.
- Keep rodents away. While snakes make great mice and pied catchers, you probably don’t want snakes in your home either. Keeping your home rodent free will reduce the chances of a raunchy friend looking for a snack.
- To keep competition. According to the Austin Animal Center, snakes are competitive and do not like to share food between poisonous and non-poisonous species. Keeping a non-venomous rat snake indoors could keep a rattlesnake or copper head from taking over.
Send snakes in with these tips from the Austin Animal Center
bite
If you are bitten, Dr. Jeremy Kenter from Ally Medical Emergency Rome in Bastrop to act as soon as possible.
“The most important thing to do if you are bitten by a rattlesnake is to really go to the nearest emergency room. Rattlesnake bites are extremely dangerous, ”said Kenter. “One thing to do when you are something is to call ahead to make sure you have the antidote.”
The desire to treat your bite right away can also tempt you to try a home remedy you may have heard of, like sucking out the poison. But St. David’s Round Rock nurse Kristen Hullum isn’t saying so quickly.
Rattlesnakes are out and about, and here’s what to do if they’re bitten
There are some cowboy films that suggest sucking out the poison, ”said Hullum. “You do not want that.”
Texas Parks and Wildlife also recommends keeping the victim – or yourself – still while keeping the bitten arm or leg below heart level. Next, clean the bite with soap and water. Remove tight clothing and jewelry as swelling may occur.
If possible, try to identify the snake that bit you, but if it is taking too long you should call 911 immediately.
snakes are useful
While many of us share a common fear of snakes – also known as ophidiophobia – they don’t hunt people and generally avoid us altogether. Most snake bites are the result of people being reckless or threatening snakes, TPW says.
Snakes have been maligned in the past, write University of Illinois Wildlife Epidemiology Laboratory students Katie V. and Kennymac in their article, Why YOU Should Care about Snakes.
Snakes have been the victims of many unprovoked attacks and killings, but it is important for humans to know how much good the animals bring to their habitat. A great help snakes provide is in controlling pest populations – and controlling the harmful diseases they can transmit.
The cycle of life: snakes are predators, but they are also prey for other animals. According to the Wildlife Epidemiology Lab, this is what is known as a “mesopredator”. Larger predators like foxes, birds of prey, and larger snakes will quickly grab a smaller snake.
Overall, snakes play a vital role in maintaining the earth’s ecosystems. So keep your distance and let snakes do their job!
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