North American Snakes: The Good, the Bad and the Beautiful

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Venomous pit vipers such as the western rattlesnakes (and also cottonmouths and copperheads) have vertical pupils. Pit vipers also have heat-sensing pits between their eyes and nostrils.
Venomous pit vipers such as the western rattlesnakes (and also cottonmouths and copperheads) have vertical pupils. Pit vipers also have heat-sensing pits between their eyes and nostrils.
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Cottonmouths can be found around water through the Southeast and lower Midwest. They are venomous, but prefer to withdraw from humans if they can.
Cottonmouths can be found around water through the Southeast and lower Midwest. They are venomous, but prefer to withdraw from humans if they can.
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Eastern ribbon snake.
Eastern ribbon snake.
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Copperhead snakes can be numerous in biologically rich woodlands anywhere southeast of the Great Plains.
Copperhead snakes can be numerous in biologically rich woodlands anywhere southeast of the Great Plains.
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The western diamondback rattler is one the few North American snake that DOES deserve its reputation.
The western diamondback rattler is one the few North American snake that DOES deserve its reputation.
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While there are a few exceptions, harmless snakes such as this common garter snake have round pupils.
While there are a few exceptions, harmless snakes such as this common garter snake have round pupils.
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Coral snakes are one of the few dangerous species with round pupils. Unless you live in Florida, the Deep South, the eastern two-thirds of Texas or southern Arizona or New Mexico, any brightly banded little snake probably is a harmless milk snake, not a coral.
Coral snakes are one of the few dangerous species with round pupils. Unless you live in Florida, the Deep South, the eastern two-thirds of Texas or southern Arizona or New Mexico, any brightly banded little snake probably is a harmless milk snake, not a coral.
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The most dangerous serpent in North America, rattlesnakes are divided into two types, Western rattlesnakes and Eastern rattlesnakes. Pictured is the eastern diamondback.
The most dangerous serpent in North America, rattlesnakes are divided into two types, Western rattlesnakes and Eastern rattlesnakes. Pictured is the eastern diamondback.

When I began wildlife consulting at the Austin, Texas, Natural Science Center, I quickly learned how intensely some people react to snakes. The vast majority of North American snakes pose no threat to humans (those that do are coral snakes and the pit vipers: rattlesnakes, copperheads and cottonmouths). But for those who called the Center, no other issue carried the same urgency as a snake in their vicinity.

One of my first such emergencies entailed a supposed tree-climbing cobra. When I arrived in the suburban subdivision, four firefighters — summoned by the same anxious homeowners who’d called me — were being raised into a large oak tree. After half an hour of treetop acrobatics — the snake darted from branch to branch just beyond their clutching fists — the firefighters gave up trying to grab what I could see was a long, slim Texas rat snake. After I declared that the snake was, for certain, not a cobra, the neighborhood settled down.

A majority of my snake-related calls came from people who had recently moved to the country. I felt a special connection with these rural residents because I was about to homestead a few acres myself. There, I would embark upon writing field guides to North American snakes.

Distinguishing Danger

Out at my new place on the edge of east Texas’ woods, I found a lot of subject matter for my books. My first visitor was a slow-moving, thick-bodied eastern hog-nosed snake. These innocuous creatures often show up around country houses where their primary prey, toads, are attracted by the insects they find in gardens or yards.

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