Snakes are Awesome! Don't Kill Them!

 

SAN ANGELO, TX — The springtime is a wonderful time of year where flowers bloom, trees sprout their leaves, and little critters come out from their deep slumbers. Not all the critters emerging from their hidey-holes are the cute and cuddly kind; snakes are coming out and in Texas, there are some that you got to be careful of.

Selina McSherry, the Recreation Coordinator at the San Angelo Nature Center, wanted to pass along knowledge about the different kind of snakes that we see in the Concho Valley and give San Angeloans advice when they come across the different snakes we might see.

The western diamondback rattlesnakes are the common venomous snakes in the area. The snakes give a distinct rattling noise to ward off unwanted visitors from its area. When it comes to these venomous guys invading our areas, people are warned to seek help from professionals for removal because rattlesnakes can be aggressive when disturbed. The diamondbacks that we see around here have black and white bands around the base of their tails right before the rattle. Babies are more dangerous because the young do not know how to control venom dosage and will give all their venom in one bite if given the chance.

The copperhead snake is another venomous snake to watch out for while having fun in the warmer months.  Copperheads are usually colorful and have striking patterns. They are usually a bright copper tan/pink color with light and dark brown shades. These snakes will give a warning bite referred to as a “dry bite,” where no venom is given but don’t give them the chance to bite again.

The cottonmouth or water moccasin is another venomous snake to keep an eye out for, though the sightings of these are rare around here they can still be found in the water or on the banks around water. The water dwellers are very venomous and have the potential to deliver a painful, fatal bite.  Cottonmouths are usually very dark in color and get darker as they grow older. They almost look black or a chalky gray.

  • A key to knowing the difference between a cottonmouth and a nonvenomous water snake is: when you only see the head of the snake in the water it is nonvenomous but if the whole body is moving on top of the water it is a venomous snake.
  • Most bites come when people are trying to kill snakes.

Though these snakes are venomous, it is strongly urged that we do not kill them. The saying “The only good snake is a dead snake” is not the message we should be sending. These creatures can be dangerous but they are being used to make huge waves in the medical field. The proteins that are extracted from their venom has been used in cancer research and has been making promising headway on the effects of cancer growth in breast cancer patients, especially the copperhead venom according to Selina McSherry.

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Not all snake are venomous and some nonvenomous snakes actually are helping keep the venomous snakes at bay like the King Snake. These snakes are scary looking to say the least. They can grow to be very large and they are black in color with yellow patterns across their backs. These snakes are not venomous and they are actually immune to most local venomous snakes which means these guys are eating the venomous snakes.

The Texas Indigo is on the endangered species list and cannot be kept as a pet and this is another nonvenomous snake that can eat the rattlesnakes. These snakes are strikingly beautiful because they are a dark blackish color but when the sun hits they appear to be bluish/indigo.

Then there are the snakes that we are familiar with, like the garter snakes which are usually a small snake that appears to be checkered. These snakes are nonvenomous and help keep the bugs and rodents from houses. Along with bull snakes and rat snakes these are also nonvenomous snakes that we find living in this area.  These two snakes have evolved to sometimes look more like a rattlesnake to ward off predators. Both snakes will mimic the sound of rattlesnakes by rapidly banging their tails on the ground but the Bull Snake goes further. These snakes will even flatten their heads to look like a rattlesnake. They are found in the high grasses and other grassy areas.

“We really don’t want any snakes dead,” added McSherry. It is urged that people contact Animal Control or the Texas Parks & Wildlife experts to extract snakes that are in a home. It is important to not keep animals you find as pets. If you find animals that need help, the nature center helps rehabilitate and then they release them on the nature trails.

Myths and Facts about snakes:

  • MYTH: Rattlesnakes are not losing their rattles, however, some in different areas have stopped rattling because wild hogs eat them.
  • MYTH: Bull Snakes are immune to rattlesnakes. The Bull Snakes can grow large enough to eat them but if they are bit they can die.
  • TRUE: Snakes CAN go up toilets in homes. If people have rodents or other critters snakes will make themselves at home and that includes the drainage. So be cautious.
  • TRUE: All snakes deserve to live, but people should be cautious and contact a professional when faced with a snake problem.

The San Angelo Nature Center is a treasure in this community. This natural history museum has a large and diverse collection of live animal exhibits that is fun for the whole family. It is located at 7409 Knickerbocker Road, out by the lake. The hours to come visit are Tue-Sat from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. A small admission fee is all it takes to see the animals of the Concho Valley up close and personally.  

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Lazy T, Wed, 02/28/2018 - 13:36

Sorry, I am personally killing every rattlesnake, copperhead and water moccasin I am confronted with. I do not understand the protection of a reptile that is a danger to mankind. I have mentioned it before, but I think they are part of the reason for climate change. There...my opinion.

Unfortunately, by attempting to kill snakes, you are placing oneself at much greater risk of a bite or envenomation. It can be proven that about 60% or more of bites are from people attempting to kill or handle the snakes without proper training or experience. To place matters into further perspective, venomous snakebite deaths in the U.S. are quite rare occurrences, and tick borne illnesses and other such pathogens that may be spread to humans in the U.S., which snakes help to control by consuming rodents that act as vectors, greatly serves to reduce the 30,000 to 40,000 cases seen annually. Not everyone may like or appreciate snakes, and this is fine, but proper education, and being aware of one's actions and surroundings when living or working in areas with snakes will go a much longer way in preventing negative human-snake encounters and in co-existing with them and other wildlife.

MjNS, Thu, 03/01/2018 - 11:39

So would you wipe out every animal that is a "danger to man" ? That is a rather long list. Never mind climate change, the whole eco system would be thrown off ...bye-bye planet earth....

Lazy T, Thu, 03/01/2018 - 14:30

Where did that come from???? No I would not "wipe out" every animal that is a danger to man. The article deals with snakes, and I am simply saying, I will kill a rattler, cotton mouth and copper head I happen to encounter. That is all....I knew climate change would come in there somewhere. Now that is funny!

It has to do with putting matters into the proper perspective and not allowing our biases dictate which species are worthy of conservation and which are not. If one were to use pandas as an example, everyone loves and wants to conserve and protect them, but apart from being a keystone species for many other less conspicuous species, they don't really serve much purpose in the way of conservation. With regard to rattle snakes rattling less, that is an anthropomorphic pressure being placed upon many populations. In other words, we're causing that to happen, not because snakes are choosing to become more stealthy so they can perhaps bite us. There was a study in the Wilderness & Environmental Medicine journal that was just recently published that finds that bee stings and deaths due to various domestic animals continue to be the leading causes of animal related deaths each year rather than snakebites. More people are also killed every year by falling coconuts, vending machines, toys on the stairs, and toasters than by any captive or wild reptiles.

MjNS, Fri, 03/02/2018 - 10:52

It 'came from' the statement you would wipe out snakes as they are a danger to man. There are so many animals that are dangerous, why just snakes then? Unless you are afraid of them, in which case there is a method to get over your phobia, formal exposure therapy. Wiping out animals just because they are dangerous is not the way to do it.

Lazy T, Fri, 03/02/2018 - 13:16

Good grief is right! Upon further review, it is a misstatement to claim I would wipe out snakes as they are a danger to man. What I said was poisonous snakes are a danger to mankind. And, they are. I also said I would kill any rattler, copperhead, or cotton mouth I encountered. That does not even imply I am wiping out a species, or does it imply I advocate wiping out a species. However, to just say leave them alone is wrong, wrong, wrong. They are aggressive at times- I know from experience that is true. The shed, there is a time when they are blind and will strike at anything and everything. I said I would have no qualms killing a rattler, copperhead, or cotton mouth because they would have no qualms killing me. Again, this is my opinion...you ain't changing it....it is intelligence guided by experience. We have better things in life to do than to spend all this space and time on such a trivial matter. (why don't you say it again...climate change!)

Unfortunately, there continues to be quite a few inaccuracies and misinformation as seen above, and it certainly can be stated that the only difference between fear and beauty is knowledge. It should be worth mentioning that, with a very few exceptions mainly with vastly different venomous snake species found elsewhere in the world and not on the American continent, snakes do not "chase" or "attack" humans. Why would they when their venom has been evolutionarily designed to subdue smaller prey and not other animals at least 10 times their size that they cannot ingest? Snakes chasing people is more often than not a vast misperception caused by the snake's perceived threat interfering with access to their preferred escape route or hiding location. With regard to snakes shedding, while it is true that they may be more defensive due to their vision being obscured, this is only a partial half-truth in that they still will not come after people if simply left alone.
It should also be mentioned that even if one does not care about the environmental or ecological benefits these animals provide, a snake, or a byproduct thereof may just save your life one day. Snake venoms, as well as properties of their blood and organs, are widely being used in the medical and scientific fields for cures or better treatments of stroke, heart disease, high blood pressure (which certainly could be the case here), diabetes, liver disorders, and even many types of cancers as well as snake movement being used and inspired in bio-engineering such as exploratory or search and rescue robots. We realize that your mind is made up, and that probably none of the above is cared about either, but the least we can hope for by providing our testimony here is that other Live viewers and readers may perhaps change and improve their attitudes and perceptions, become better educated and informed of the nonsense, and for stronger enforcement of and prosecution under applicable state and local laws pertaining to killing indigenous wildlife, which most states and areas fortunately have provisions for to be aware of.

Lazy T, Fri, 03/02/2018 - 21:23

That was really nice, long article until you got the end. I am disappointed you think I am ignorant. I do care about the majority of your article, and agree with some of it. Man is on a higher plane than these reptiles you feel so strongly about. I have been attacked by these reptiles,,,and I have killed them because they have been aggressively trying to bite me, which is their only means of defense. By the way, I do not have high blood pressure as you suggested. I do know there are no laws in the state of Texas that would prohibit me from defending myself against a poisonous reptile. I guess you have opposition to the rattle snake roundups. Those roundups prove beyond a doubt there are plenty of rattlesnakes in Texas, and the population is not on the decline. So, at the end of the day, it should be pointed out that the rattlesnake, copperheads, and cottonmouths that I have killed in my day, and perhaps in the future will have little impact on climate change, the population of the species, and any medical or scientific discoveries. Our children sometime are in endangered by these reptiles...in my book the child wins every single time. game-set-match.

Unfortunately, there seems to continue to be this highly anthropocentric attitude here as presenting a selective bias as to decide which species are worthy of being saved or conserved as opposed to which are not, which probably serves as an example of what this article is discussing and may be why editors felt the need to moderate. Venomous animals really have few other differences from most other animals besides than the fact they have simply evolved much more highly modified enzymes and chemical proteins known as venom over millions of years to be able to quickly and more efficiently locate and consume their smaller prey. Not for attempting to envenomate and consume other animals at least 10 times their size. Aside from perhaps a few of the largest snake species in the world, and even then their doing so is often highly questionable and dubious, snakes do not consume, chase, or attack humans, as has been rehashed here many times already, so we won't go into detail on that again other than encouraging anyone to re-read previous comments. It is worth correcting yet another erroneous statement in that biting consists of most reptile's last resort of defense, and many have more passive or indirect defensive behaviors such as crypsis to first avoid detection, as well as many other defensive behaviors intended to pre-emptively warn potential predators away. The Eastern Hognose snake (Heterodon platirhinos) is one such example that goes through an elaborate series of defensive behaviors including hissing, flaring their heads and necks and even mock striking before rolling over and feigning death.
If we want to go with the one child death is too many argument, then we should perhaps look to prohibiting legos, toys, Eggo waffles, stairs, and just about any other furniture children like to play with or on as all of these cause numerous more deaths and accidents annually in the U.S. unless one's simple bias towards snakes is part of that equation here. Much can also be rehased about the ecologically unsustainable harvest and collection methods of rattlesnake roundups, but this is largely another topic. We can say that from observation, we say they are unsustainable in that oftentimes, the snakes are needing to be collected and imported from other states and elsewhere. The trend now is to promote much more educational and ecologically friendly rattlesnake events in states where they still occur. Its worth noting that many of us have been in venomous snake habitat, and have encountered them on many occassions, timber rattlesnakes in the midwest and cottonmouths in the southeast for example, which is a practice known as field herping in that we look for reptiles and amphibians for various personal, educational, or research purposes, and not once have been bitten or attacked if simple awareness of one'as actions and surroundings are kept in mind whenever living or working in areas with snakes. You keep mentioning climate change, although whether we like them or not, local extinctions, or extirpation due to persecution have indeed been a contributing factor to the declines of many species, and not just snakes, including my own state's two venomous species to simply note as an example.

Lazy T, Sat, 03/03/2018 - 08:52

I had a nice response to this article, but apparently the editors are ready for this issue to be done with. I am certainly ok with closing the issue, however, I do feel I should have been given the opportunity to respond to some of the erroneous allegations in this article.

MjNS, Sat, 03/03/2018 - 13:44

I completely missed the words "I am confronted with" in your original post. I speed read and sometimes miss things. The word 'confronted' implies killing it for your own safety, which while unfortunate, would have to be done. In no way am I a "tree hugger" btw, but I won`t apologize for being an animal lover. If a rattler crossed my threshold I would trap or kill it to protect myself and those I love. Sorry you can`t post back, if you are on Facebook you can message me . Mj Kryseski

Lazy T, Sat, 03/03/2018 - 10:44

Since I am no longer allowed to comment on your errors, I will close my debate with:
"No man in the wrong can stand up against a fellow that's in the right and keeps on a-comin'."

------ Inscription on the tombstone of Texas Ranger Bill McDonald, 1918

Just start introducing yourself as an "outdoor enthusiast". Get a gas sprayer, extractor kit , but like any great modern hunter, don't forget to gear up like you've been deployed to war.

IMO, it's too bad animals haven't declared war on everything harmful to THEM. One can dream though, I suppose.

Lazy T, Wed, 02/28/2018 - 13:37

btw...we are experience a time when some rattlesnakes Do Not Rattle!!!

It is true that " snakes CAN go up toilets in homes" so "be cautious"! So be sure to turn the light on before you use the bathroom at night or what? Do we know what type of snake normally comes up the toilet? A little more info after that comment would be nice.

Lazy T, Thu, 03/01/2018 - 11:01

Article posted here recently about a 5 year old child trying to recover from a rattlesnake bite. I will bet you she did not have a chance to pet that snake before it struck. A rattle was not heard...and the child nearly lost her leg...and only one fang participated in the bite. Venomous snakes are a danger to mankind...they can and are aggressive at certain times (shedding is one of those times)...I have been threatened many times by rattlers...copperheads, and water moccasins. I have no qualms about killing them, because the have no qualms about killing me.

Unfortunately, there continues to be quite a few inaccuracies and misinformation as seen above, and it certainly can be stated that the only difference between fear and beauty is knowledge. It should be worth mentioning that, with a very few exceptions mainly with vastly different venomous snake species found elsewhere in the world and not on the American continent, snakes do not "chase" or "attack" humans. Why would they when their venom has been evolutionarily designed to subdue smaller prey and not other animals at least 10 times their size that they cannot ingest? Snakes chasing people is more often than not a vast misperception caused by the snake's perceived threat interfering with access to their preferred escape route or hiding location. With regard to snakes shedding, while it is true that they may be more defensive due to their vision being obscured, this is only a partial half-truth in that they still will not come after people if simply left alone.
It should also be mentioned that even if one does not care about the environmental or ecological benefits these animals provide, a snake, or a byproduct thereof may just save your life one day. Snake venoms, as well as properties of their blood and organs, are widely being used in the medical and scientific fields for cures or better treatments of stroke, heart disease, high blood pressure (which certainly could be the case here), diabetes, liver disorders, and even many types of cancers as well as snake movement being used and inspired in bio-engineering such as exploratory or search and rescue robots. We realize that your mind is made up, and that probably none of the above is cared about either, but the least we can hope for by providing our testimony here is that other Live viewers and readers may perhaps change and improve their attitudes and perceptions, become better educated and informed of the nonsense, and for stronger enforcement of and prosecution under applicable state and local laws pertaining to killing indigenous wildlife, which most states and areas fortunately have provisions for to be aware of.

Lotta tree huggers here. You get bit be these cuddly little creations and you'll get to see how well your ObamaCare pays the emergency room bill. After learning that lesson take whatever money your left with and go buy you a snake swatter at the gun shop. Hint: it's way cheaper than the hospital bill.

Unfortunately, and yes, I realize I've been saying that a lot now here, perhaps out of necessity, but conservation strategies and initiatives for reptiles and amphibians, particularly when it comes to venomous snakes, have been rather difficult to successfully achieve due to these negative public attitudes, false perceptions, and in some cases, a public mistrust of historical government initiatives, that these animals are out to chase or attack people. There are certainly many examples in many states where this has been seen, such as with a timber rattlesnake conservation effort in the Quabbin reservoir region of MA, which is in effect an isolated island and causeway not even open to public access. However, in the northeast and other northern areas where these few venomous snake species may occur, they are quite limited in their habitat and distribution to where there are suitable deep, rocky fissures that go well below the frostline as hibernaculums for overwintering. They simply cannot live and reproduce just anywhere, even if one or a few animals did end up swimming or being relocated off of that island. And they certainly would not, and could not poison the reservoir's water supply simply by being venomous. I wish we were making that up. While the concern regarding venomous snakes is understandable, it would seem doubtful that that whole controversy would have ever resulted had it been about birds, rabbits, or chipmunks, or other animals which are more widely liked. It would seem that a few points previously mentioned have also been missed, in that our concerns aren't necessarily stemming from the welfare of individual animals or even from an ecological standpoint as much as they are for the conservation statuses and perceptions of a species as a whole.
As for being tree huggers, most of us would say this is only partially true. We oppose certain nongovernmental animal rights organizations (and yes, that is much different than animal welfare, which we support) and their efforts to ban or eliminate the keeping of many species of commonly kept and bred pets, namely reptiles, amphibians, and other exotic animals using various falsified arguments of ecological, animal welfare, and/or public safety. These organizations use millions of fraudulently raised dollars every year from their television ads and other media causing the misperception that they run, or are one's local pet shelter or humane society when this is in fact not the case, and less than 1% of these organization's annual budgets go towards such efforts, while as much as 60-70% or more go towards lobbying, litigation, and staff pensions. While much more can be written about this, we can say that it has largely been up to the local and state herpetological and reptile/exotic pet keeping communities to support and spearhead many of these conservation initiatives rather than thesee large welfare organizations. Obviously, we aren't going to change everyone's mind on the matter as evidenced here, and that's fine and to be expected, but the least we can do is simply continue our education and outreach efforts to those who at least have an open mind to learning more and perhaps changing the aforementioned attitudes and perceptions mentioned earlier.

I lived in San Angelo the first 18 years of my life and in Austin or Houston for the next 22 years...never saw a rattlesnake in that whole time, but plenty of tarantulas and scorpions, and the devilish palmetto bugs of Houston. Few bugs of any kind here in Massatoosetts, thank the Lord!

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