Snakes get a bad wrap.
They actually help us out by keeping the population of rodents and other things down. But, as you know… they’re not very friendly. So if you see one – keep back!
Venomous
Texas is home to 4 types of venomous snakes. 3 species of Copperheads, 10 species of Rattlesnakes, 1 species of Cottonmouth (or Water Moccasin) and 1 species of Coral snake. Fifteen in all.
Remember this handy rhyme: Red and yellow, kill a fellow. Red and black won’t kill Jack.
-
- Copperhead Snake
-
- Diamondback Rattlesnake
-
-
Cottonmouth aka Water Moccasin
(Image courtesy of the Houston Zoo)
-
-
Coral Snake
(Image courtesy of the Houston Zoo)
Non-Venomous
Milk Snake
The Milk Snake is scarily similar to the Coral snake. Just remember the kid’s rhyme above if you come across one.
Green Water Snake
This guy is a 4′ Green Texas Water Snake. At first glance, we thought he was a Mamba! Yikes! One of the top ten deadliest snakes!. Thank goodness, it wasn’t. He was trying to make a home in someone’s garage (or looking for dinner). We removed him to a new home and after all was done, everyone was happy, even the snake.
Rat Snake
(Image courtesy of UTA. Photo by Michael Smith)
Rat snakes are great climbers and can get pretty big. Their diets consist mainly of mice and rats (as their name suggests) but you might see them climbing trees or on the side of a building looking for birds, eggs or squirrels too.
Cool to know: All snakes can swim but only the venomous snakes float. If you see a snake with it’s full body floating on the water, it’s a poisonous snake! If you see a snake with just it’s head poking out and it’s body is underwater, it’s the non-poisonous variety.
You can learn more about Texas reptiles and amphibians at the DFW Herpetological Society website, the Texas A & M University College of Veterinary Medicine website, and the Amphibian and Reptile Diversity Research Center at UTA website.
Worried about snakes? Contact us today to set up a FREE assessment or to schedule an appointment.
– The Castle Family
