Out of 3,971 snake species in the world today, only 600 are venomous. To make this number even smaller, only 200 species around the world are considered potentially dangerous to humans and most of our animals companions.

The suborder Serpentes is divided into two infraorders, the smaller group, Scolecophidia, describes 5 families of snakes, with species such as blind snakes. Many are fossorial (live underground) and therefore aren’t often seen. The other group, Alethinophidia, is the larger infraorder, with 25 families.

There are five families in the infraorder Alethinophidia that you should know:

1. Elapidae: These are some of the most venomous snakes, like Cobras (Naja), Mambas (Dendroaspis), and the Inland Taipan (Oxyuranus microlepidotus), considered the most venomous snake in the world. Elapids closely resemble the colubrid family.
2. Colubridae: These snakes are generally non-venomous or mildly venomous, and are the most common around the world. A few common species within the family are Rat Snakes (Pantherophis), Water Snakes (Nerodia), Racers (Coluber), and Garter Snakes (Thamnophis).
3. Viperdae: A grouping of snakes that are usually shorter and wider with long venomous fangs. These include Rattlesnakes (Crotalus), Bush Vipers (Atheris) and Copperheads (Agkistrodon) to name a few.
4. Boidae: Often smaller than their similar family Pythonidae, with the exception of the Green Anaconda (Eunectes murinus), which is considered the largest and certainly heaviest extant snake in the world. The biggest difference between boas and pythons is their way of reproduction. I will be doing a post about this soon.
5. Pythonidae: A group of often large constrictor snakes such as the Burmese Python (Python bivittatus), Reticulated Python (Malayopython reticulatus), and Ball Python (Python regius).

Snake venom is modified saliva, and the toxicity falls into more of a range than a strict formula. Similar to bee stings, the reaction can vary from person to person. With snake species in the Elapid and Viper family, the reaction to venom is almost always severe and should be medically treated.

However, some colubrid snakes, like hognose snakes and even tiny ringneck snakes, are also considered venomous. Their venom is mild enough that it is not harmful to humans, and they have small Opisthoglyphous fangs in the rear of their mouths versus the front, meaning an actual envenomation is unlikely. I have actually experienced an envenomation from my Western Hognose Snake (Heterodon nasicus), and can say that the venom is very mild. To read more about the interesting behaviors of genus Heterodon (hognose snakes), you can click here.

Remember if a snake is hiding, it will not emerge from its hiding place to bite a passing human that would put the snake in unnecessary harm. The only time a snake will attempt to harm a human is if it feels there is no other option, so as long as you do not step on or grab a snake, you (and the snake) will be safe.

Snakes are an important part of the ecosystem; they are both predator to mostly rodents and amphibians, and prey to large birds and sometimes other snakes. And still, some people aren’t as excited to have snakes in their yard.

If you have a venomous snake in your yard, that means you are living on land that is suitable for snakes (hooray!), which means snakes will go and live there.

By killing or attempting to kill a venomous snake in your yard, you are putting yourself in unnecessary harm given that so many snake bites come when trying to kill a snake (obviously, the snake is desperately trying to save its life)!

If your yard is a good place for snakes, more will likely show up anyway. This is not to say that you should just stay safe inside, but rather be aware that there are always going to be other creatures all around you, and the best thing you can do to keep your yard free from snakes is to make sure there aren’t many places for them to hide. Things such as fallen limbs, tires, metal roofing, and hoses are all prime areas for a snake to be found. There are also lots of people around the world excited to help relocate snakes and share their passion (including me).

It is impossible to identify all venomous snakes based on the same visual cues. Instead, you can learn to identify the different families of snakes and know which families are venomous. In North America this can be pretty easy; with the exception of copperhead and water moccasin species (both from the genus Agkistrodon), just about every viper species here has a rattle. They also have loreal or heat sensing pits between their eyes and nostrils. They also have a bulky body and large head. The only Elapid snakes in North America are the coral snakes. They have stripes and the yellow and red bands are touching.

But the colubrids (mild or non-venomous) are good actors and may mimic the colors and shapes of venomous snakes. For example, many colubrid snakes will spread out their flexible jaws to look like a venomous viper snake. And just about any snake you’ll come across will rattle its tail. Only rattlesnakes have true rattles, but all snakes may shake their tails when they feel threatened. This is not actually to mimic the venomous rattlesnakes, but it may have evolved simultaneously and even prier to the rattle snakes adaptation, you can learn more about snake rattles here.

There are rule breakers for every trick you may have heard, so the best way I have found is to pay attention to the whole animal rather than focusing on specific parts (like looking for the loreal pit in a rattlesnake or the bands in a coral snake). More often I’m paying attention to the head and body shape, as well as the body language and way of movement, because the pattern and color often varies between individuals within a species.

So here is a quiz that you can retake as much as you want that can help you become familiar with some of the common species you may see around North America. Go through it slowly and really pay attention to the images so that you can get to know the snake species. You can take it as many times as you want, and when you get the right answer I share where I found the snake as well.

Snakes are fascinating creatures, and, just like dogs, it’s important to respect their strength and their space, and pay attention to the body language. The more you know, the less there is to be fearful about.

Sources: NationalGeographic, Wikipedia, personal experience

There are two genera of pit vipers (Crotalinae) with rattles – genus Crotalus, with 51 species, and Sistrurus, with only three species. And they can all be found in the New World (North and South America).

Most of the Rattlesnakes that you’d think of come from the genus Crotalus. It includes Western and Eastern Diamond-Backs (Crotalus atrox & adamanteus), Mojave Rattlesnakes (Crotalus scutulatus), Sidewinders (Crotalus cerastes), and Timber Rattlesnakes (Crotalus horridus). While the smaller Pigmy (Sistrurus miliarius) and Massasauga Rattlesnakes (Sistrurus catenatus (Eastern) & targeminus (Western)), belong to the genus Sistrurus.

There are a lot of misconceptions about Rattlesnakes. One being that you can tell the snake’s age by how many rattle segments they have.

Actually, Rattlesnakes are born with a first rattle segment, called a button (as seen in the image to the right). At first the button cannot make any sound and some biologists think it may be used as a lure.

Every time the snake sheds it gains another segment. It may take multiple sheds to get a fully developed segment, though. Snakes shed more often when they are young and slowly decrease the frequency of shedding as they age. Also, as the snake moves around, older parts of the rattle will likely fall off. In my illustration you can see how the segments interlock loosely enough to make noise.

Rattlesnakes aren’t the only snakes that rattle, though. Just about any kind of snake you’d encounter will shake its tail when it’s nervous. It is likely that the evolution of tail shaking may have effected many species of snakes around the same time, and was only specialized in rattlesnakes. In other words, when a non-venomous or venomous snake without a rattle shakes its tail, it is not trying to imitate a rattlesnake, because that habit evolved before the rattle did.

This beautiful Mojave Rattlesnake (Crotalus scutulatus) I found in Inyokern California. It is doing a great job of demonstrating a defensive posture and rattle.

I hope this helps you appreciate these fascinating animals. If you’d like to learn more about some strange defense strategies in snakes, you can read about the genus Heterodon here.

Sources: ResearchGate, Wikipedia, Britannica

Hognose snakes are endemic to North America and can be easily identified by their turned up rostral scale. The rostral scale is the scale right on the tip maxilla (upper jaw). in Hognose snakes people often call it their nose, though their nostrils are actually a bit behind the rostral scale.

These snakes are terrestrial and use that shovel-like nose to burrow. There are four species of Heterodon, or hognose snake, Eastern Hognose (Heterodon platirhinos), Southern Hognose (Heterodon simus) Western Hognose (Heterodon nasicus), and Mexican Hognose (Heterodon kennerlyi)

Hognose snakes can be intimidating in the wild. When they feel threatened, they may puff up and hiss, flatten their necks like a cobra, and open their wide mouths. If you look closely you may even see their fangs.

If you approach any closer, they may rise partially above the ground and strike at you with a hiss. But the strangest thing of all is what happens next.

If you were to get any closer, the snake would release a musk, and roll over, playing dead.

You may be surprised to learn that snakes in the genus Heterodon are completely harmless to humans.

Even when they strike it is a bluff, where they actually have their mouths closed and just bump you with their rostral scale. It’s pretty funny to be head-butted by a hognose snake!

Hognose snakes are rear fanged venomous. They don’t quite have true venom glands with the muscles to push venom, nor hollow teeth to inject it into their prey. But they do have small opisthoglyphous fangs with a grove channel in the rear of their maxilla and, a Duvernoy’s gland that holds some semi-toxic saliva.

In the wild they prey on amphibians, so their mild venom delivered through the small Opysthoglyphous fangs in the rear of their mouths assist in feeding. They tend to have a special preference from toads and are immune to the toxins they secrete.

I have been bitten by my own Western Hognose Snake, Otis Mojave. It was not a defensive bite; he was just really hungry and my hand happened to be close by. It took a while for him to let go so I was envenomated, and only felt some mild itching and soreness.

The Western Hognose is a common species kept as pets. I care for two, Otis Mojave (right) and Ophelia Fawn (left). It’s so interesting to watch them and compare their morphology with my other snakes of different species.

Sources: Snakesarelong, Britannica, ScienceDirect

Many people have a fear or disgust of snakes, but why? 

It’s scary not knowing where a potentially dangerous animal might be hiding.

All of a sudden you hear a rattling tail, or something slithers away faster than you can think!

When I bring up the idea of snakes in a conversation, the quick response is often negative. My Mom used to think the same way until she decided to let go of her fears. So many people seem to have this common fear, yet only 2% to 3% actually have a true phobia, known as ophidiophobia (according to the National Library of Medicine). 

Studies have shown that babies and young children have a stronger reaction and awareness to snakes (when compared to animals like caterpillars and frogs), but do not show any signs of fear around them. 

So it may be true that humans have developed awareness of certain animals during their evolution, but the only true fears that humans are born with is a fear of falling and a fear of loud noises. Any other fears are influenced by life experience, and, more often, the influence of others.

Most people don’t intentionally teach others to fear or hate snakes, but children pay attention to the actions and comments of others and often carry that with them throughout life.

In my experience, most people don’t have any real reason to hate snakes. Most often those people have rarely encountered or had any experience with them. And it makes sense – why would someone be curious if they’ve already been told all they think they need to know? If history has already placed them as “monsters”, that’s enough to keep many away. 

In the 13th century, when humans were beginning to classify animals, the study of herpetology (the study or reptiles and amphibians) was coming together, Vincent of Beauvais lumped reptiles, amphibians, and worms together, describing them as “monsters”. This idea of reptiles and amphibians as monsters continued for centuries. It was only in the 19th century that Latreille named the group of limbed amphibians batrachia, which separated reptiles and amphibians. This was the first step in caring about reptiles and amphibians separately, and for some disconnecting them from their title as monsters.

It can be hard to reason with people that have no reason for their beliefs, other than to ask that they approach the world with a more open mind. It doesn’t mean you have to like snakes or any other animal. But before you use that fear as an excuse, a reason to harm or harass an animal, or even as a connecting point with others, simply be curious. Try to find the root cause of your fear (if any) and research the science behind it. You’ll often find it to be less scary than it seems.

If the fear is that the snake might bite, you, you can easily learn that snakes will avoid biting as much as possible, often putting on elaborate defense displays. Even venomous snakes don’t want to waste their venom on something they couldn’t eat; they will only bite if they feel like there is no other choice. And even then, 50% of venomous snakes bites are “dry bites” where the snake doesn’t release any venom. (According to the National Library of Medicine)

If you really look into it, most snakes aren’t dangerous. There are 3,971 snake species in the world known today. Out of that, there are only 600 snakes that are considered venomous, and out of that, only 200 species are considered potentially harmful to humans. 

In the United States, there are 30 species of venomous snakes. There are no venomous snakes in Alaska, Hawaii, Rhode Island, and Maine.

Unfortunately, like so many animals, snakes are in danger of habitat loss, which forces them to find safety in areas populated by humans, where they are often killed by misidentification. Some people think it’s okay to kill a snake because they may be venomous and potentially harmful. However, this does not actually do much of anything to keep you safe. In fact, you are more likely to be harmed by a snake if you try to kill it than if you never knew it was there. It is estimated that people only see 1% of snakes they may encounter (this study was done with multiple pythons in an enclosure, so it could be even less), and so if you see a venomous snake and let it be, the chance of you ever seeing it again is slim. The only difference is that you know it might be there. Removing hiding places like trash and fallen limbs is a much better alternative to keep snakes away.

Whether you are aware of it or not, there are going to be snakes. And when a snake sees a potential predator (like you), they are going to be focused on surviving, meaning they do not want to be seen or caught. The worst thing a snake could do when trying to survive a predator is attack it. The symbolism of a snake’s ability to shed its skin can be a great reminder to let go of the past in order to grow into the future. 

So be like a snake and shed your fears.

Sources:

Wikipedia

National Library of Medicine

Live Science

Amphibian Foundation