Snakes

Snakes

Facts, Identification & Control

Latin Name

Suborder Serpents

Appearance

There are different kind of snakes with lots of species. Snakes do not have well developed legs and eyelids. They come in divers length from 10cm to few meters. Their colors are of different types and combination ranging from vivid greens, reds or yellows to darker black or brown. Some come with unique coloration, stripes or patterns. Although they are great source of fear for people, but they are also essential in our ecosystem. They moderate the population of pest for lots of animals. Majority of snakes in the United States pose no risk to humans because they are nonvenomous. Apart from fear of snakes and secondary infection in a bite, there are no really hazards. Even with this, lots of people still have great phobia for snakes and don’t want it around them.

Behavior, Diet & Habits

Snakes skill their prey with different tactics. They consume animals like frogs, birds, salamanders, insects, worms, and small rodents. Snakes with venom possess sharp, hollow fangs which can pierce through and inject venom into the skin. This is found at the upper jaw and venom glands are connected to it. When the fangs are not in use, they fold into the mouth. Constriction is the tool used by nonvenomous snakes to render their prey powerless. They quickly wrap themselves around the prey after biting it. The snake usually apply pressure to suffocate the prey. Irrespective of how the prey was captured, it will be wholly consumed. Interestingly, the lower jaw is made to open to different sizes. This affords the snake to consume prey that are larger than the size of their mouth.

Snakes look for warmth in the warmer months because they are cold-blooded animals, and may disappear from view during the cold months. In order to prevent their body temperatures from dropping too low, snakes sometimes hide in dens together. With this they can the little heat that is available.

Reproduction

For snakes, mating is usually during spring. Reproduction of some species is via laying of eggs, while some other ones give birth to live young ones. Divers species give birth to different number of children.

Signs of a Snake Infestation

Nonvenomous snakes vs. Venomous Snakes

Regardless of whether they have venom or not, all snakes should be accorded some respect and allow to be. Most of the snakes that are of venomous species in the United States are of pit viper type, such as copperheads and rattlesnakes. There are some ways to distinguish between a pit viper and nonvenomous snakes. The visible differences focus on characteristics of the head. Features of the nonvenomous snake may include; narrow head, lack of pit between nostril and eye and round pupils. The pit vipers possess head shaped in a triangular way. There exist a visible pit between eye and nostril with elliptical pupils. The tails are also different. Really, an intimate check on an unknown snake type can be very dangerous. You will need to call a professional wildlife management technician for proper identification.

More Information

There are few steps one might need to take to prevent long term stay of snakes even if you have much around. First thing to do is to remove anything that might be a comfortable home. Things like wood piles, piles of debris, high grass and overgrown vegetation are snakes preferred habitats. Once such things are removed, snakes will disappear. Second, block all holes or openings that may lead into buildings e.g homes, outbuildings, garages, etc