This spring has seen more than its fair share of snake calls at the Smith County Extension office.
Fortunately, most of the snakes you might encounter around the home will be of the non-venomous variety. But any encounter with a snake can be traumatic - for both the snake and the human.
The 'call of the spring' so far has been a shed snake skin of about 3 feet in length that was brought in by a very concerned father whose 5 year old had found it hanging from a shoe tree on the back of her bedroom closet. The shed keyed out to be from a non-venomous snake (most likely a Texas Rat snake) but that did little to quell concerns because they had not yet seen nor caught the home invading snake that left the shed skin behind.
Texas is home to some 110 species of snakes. Lucky for us, only two snake families are venomous. Three of the venomous snakes found in the state are pit vipers - copperheads, water moccasins, rattlesnakes. The other venomous snake is the coral snake. The non-venomous ones; however, may look scary. Some non-venomous snakes are very aggressive and will readily strike when cornered. Annually, 1 to 2 Texans die from venomous snake bites.
One tip for telling the venomous snakes from the non-venomous varieties is to look at the eyes. The pit vipers have cat like eyes (elliptical pupils) and a loreal pit between the eye and the nostril. Non-venomous snakes have human like eyes (round pupils) and lack the loreal pit.The only exception to this rule is the coral snake, which has round pupils and no loreal pit (because it is not a pit viper). Coral snakes have alternating red, yellow, and black bands. Remember the saying, "red touch yellow, kill a fellow, red touch black, venom lack," and you will be able to tell the coral snake from the several other Texas snakes with red, yellow, and black bands.
This Herps of Texas web site maintained by UT in Austin has a very complete listing of the snakes found in the state, by family, but you must first click on the snake's Latin name to get a picture and a map depicting its distribution in the state. One tip, the pit vipers (family Viperidae) and the coral snake (family Elapidae) are found at the end of the list.
The following publication, Snakes and Their Control, lists the four varieties of venomous snakes found in Texas, as well as ways to control them around the home. Eliminating piles of leaves, rocks, wood, etc. and keeping grass mowed short (thus reducing rodent habitat) are good at discouraging snakes from setting up home around your house. This publication also describes how to use rodent glue traps to catch snakes that have wandered into the home.
This online publication, Coping With Snakes, from Colorado State University Extension also discusses control tips (including information on snake repellents) and first aide tips for dealing with snake bites. Even bites from non-venomous snakes should looked at by a health care professional because of the risk of bacterial infection.
Teach children to have a healthy respect for snakes. In nature, snakes help keep rodent populations in check and feed on a variety of insects. Left alone, most snakes would rather get away from you than have a confrontation with you. This Texas Parks and Wildlife Junior Naturalist page can help you teach young ones about the snakes that live among us.
Next time you see a snake remember the mantra: Know - Don't Hoe!
