Rural Rites: Get to know the snakes on your property

By MONETTE TAYLOR | South Central Texas Edition

For their protection, snakes rely on their coloring to blend into the surrounding habitat, such as the above Rough Green Snake, commonly referred to as a grass snake. This is a non-poisonous snake. Note how it's eyes are visible from the top of its head. -- Staff photo by Carolyn Rost

May 26, 2005 - If you should come across a rattling snake, you best turn tail and run! Chances are you've just keened on a rattlesnake. Same goes for spotting a snake that has red and yellow stripes … side by side … because as we Texans have learned from childhood, "… red and yellow kill a fellow!" This means you've probably come face-to-face with a coral snake! According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), there are 15 venomous (poisonous) snakes that have taken up residence in Texas. The 15 are within the four species of poisonous snakes in the state: rattlesnakes, cottonmouths, copperheads, and the coral snake.

In all, Texas is home to 115 species and subspecies of snakes, so the poisonous snakes make up only 15 percent of the total snake population.

Strangely enough, the king snake is so named because, even though it is not poisonous, it is big enough to kill and eat a Western Diamondback rattlesnake! Some snake handlers suggest that if a person sees a snake, it's best to stay at least twice the length of the snake away, in order to avoid being bitten.

While Texas is a big place and has lots of room, Texans need to always be alert. The best way to avoid confrontation with a snake, poisonous or non-poisonous, is to make your home and yard as undesirable to the limbless reptile as possible.

A rattlesnake, caged at John and Susan Mellyn's Snake Farm and Exotic Animal Park outside of New Braunfels, demonstrates how a poisonous snake has a brow which shields its eyes. John has experience with many snakes, including poisonous ones. A bite from one caused him to lose part of a thumb. -- Staff photo by Monette Taylor

Clint Pustejovsky, who is in the business of snake control, said residents need to identify snake activities, their habitat, and potential hiding places. He suggested "keeping the grass and vegetation cut short; removing piles of branches, leaves, etc.; not storing fireplace logs outside; sealing off spacing under air conditioning (A/C) unit slabs, landscaping rocks, etc.; sealing around A/C, electrical and plumbing going into your home; cutting limbs at least three feet above the ground and trimming borders … such as monkey grass ... to no more than six inches wide." Snakes have been located under decks, in attics, or between walls, so it is suggested that residents check out these locations, if there is concern about snake habitation. If a snake is found, assistance in removing it can sometimes be obtained by contacting the county or city animal control officer, according to John Mellon of the Snake Farm and Exotic Animal Park in New Braunfels.

But, Mellon also pointed out there are some "protected" snakes in Texas, such as the Texas Indigo, which means they are unlawful to kill. He suggested folks check the Texas Parks and Wildlife website, or pick up a book on Texas snakes, to learn which ones are protected.

If you see a snake slithering along the ground, it is best to just go the opposite way or stay still and let it pass. All snakes can bite, and most snakes' teeth are angled backward, so a bitten body part that is jerked will just cause the snake's teeth to sink deeper.

If a person is bitten by a snake, it's important to determine if it is poisonous or non-poisonous. All bites should receive medical attention, but bites from a poisonous snake can be fatal, depending on the person's size and health condition.

One way to determine the snake's venom status is by the visibility of its eyes. While looking straight down on a snake's head, if you can see their eyes, that's often a non-poisonous snake. But, a snake's head with a wide, broad brow that hoods its eyes is likely poisonous. Of course, there are exceptions, such as the non-poisonous hog-nosed snake which mimics its browed, poisonous cousins.

Another way to determine if a snake is poisonous or non-poisonous, is by the scaling on its belly. (Most prefer to check this out if the snake is dead.) A poisonous snake's single, horizontally-lined scales down its belly will continue past its anal opening (about three-fourths of its body length down from its head). If, just past the anal opening, the scales split, to become two, side-by-side scales, it's a non-poisonous snake.

Many folks also think any snake found around water is the poisonous cottonmouth, or water mocassin. But because poisonous snakes make up a small percentage of the total snake population, odds are it is a non-poisonous yellow-bellied, or gliding, water snake. The gliding water snake's belly is whitish in color, similar to the cottonmouth's.

For more information on snakes, visit one of these websites: www.tpwd.state.tx.us; www.texassnakes.net; or www.txsnakefarm.com.)