First Things First...
As we've stated in last week's blog, whether a snake is venomous or not, it's best to use caution when you encounter any sort of snake. Keep your distance, and for Pete's sake, do NOT try to handle it on your own! A snake bite will hurt, regardless as to whether it's from a venomous snake or not! Always err on the side of caution.
Identifying Venomous and Non-Venomous Snakes
If a snake is venomous, it will have a distinguishable pit between each eye and nostril. These pits, sometimes referred to as loreal pits or fossa, are used as infrared-detecting organs, allowing the viper to sense its prey. Its pupils will be vertical slits. It will have a single row of scales along its underside.
Whereas, a non-venomous snake will have round pupils and two rows of scales along its underside. While it is wise to avoid snakes with triangle-shaped heads, a snake with a triangular head is not necessarily venomous. However, a pit viper head will be much larger and more triangular than a non-venomous snake, because of its venom sacs.
Western Ratsnake
Often called the "black snake," the western ratsnake is one of our state's largest and most familiar snakes. Generally, they're shiny black, but some will show dark-brown blotches. The skin between the scales along the sides may be red. They take shelter in brush piles, hollow trees, farm buildings, and old houses where mice are plenty. These constrictors eat a variety of rodents, bats, and small birds. They are excellent climbers and often climb trees to raid bird nests. This snake can grow to be 6 feet long and live up to 25 years.
Eastern Garter Snake
Generally 18–26 inches long, the shy eastern garter snake has three yellow stripes — one along its back and two on either side. The red-sided garter snake is found in the western half of the state, and it has red or orange skin that shows along its sides.
Eastern Hog-Nosed Snake
Also known as the puff adder, this snake has a heavy body and an upturned snout. It can bluff predators like mammals and birds of prey with a display of neck-spreading and hissing or agonized thrashing and playing dead. The hog-nosed snake comes in a variety of colors and patterns, often resembling a venomous snake.
Eastern Milksnake
Like the hog-nosed snake, milksnakes mimic venomous snakes to scare off predators. The red-marked milksnake is actually a constrictor that looks like a deadly coral snake, which doesn’t occur in Missouri. Milksnakes are part of the kingsnake family, which have the ability to eat other snakes, even the occasional venomous snake.
Northern Watersnake
Missouri’s most common kind of watersnake is found statewide. Because it’s large, dark, and lives along lakes, swamps, and streams, it is often mistaken for the venomous western cottonmouth. In warm weather, they bask on branches, logs, or rocks along the water’s edge in and near creeks, rivers, ponds, lakes, and swamps. They eat fish, frogs, tadpoles, toads, and salamanders. This snake is non-venomous, but it will bite viciously if captured and ooze a stinky musk from glands near the base of its tail.
5 Non-Venomous Snakes of Missouri
Often called the "black snake," the western ratsnake is one of our state's largest and most familiar snakes. Generally, they're shiny black, but some will show dark-brown blotches. The skin between the scales along the sides may be red. They take shelter in brush piles, hollow trees, farm buildings, and old houses where mice are plenty. These constrictors eat a variety of rodents, bats, and small birds. They are excellent climbers and often climb trees to raid bird nests. This snake can grow to be 6 feet long and live up to 25 years.
Eastern Garter Snake
Generally 18–26 inches long, the shy eastern garter snake has three yellow stripes — one along its back and two on either side. The red-sided garter snake is found in the western half of the state, and it has red or orange skin that shows along its sides.
Eastern Hog-Nosed Snake
Also known as the puff adder, this snake has a heavy body and an upturned snout. It can bluff predators like mammals and birds of prey with a display of neck-spreading and hissing or agonized thrashing and playing dead. The hog-nosed snake comes in a variety of colors and patterns, often resembling a venomous snake.
Eastern Milksnake
Like the hog-nosed snake, milksnakes mimic venomous snakes to scare off predators. The red-marked milksnake is actually a constrictor that looks like a deadly coral snake, which doesn’t occur in Missouri. Milksnakes are part of the kingsnake family, which have the ability to eat other snakes, even the occasional venomous snake.
Northern Watersnake
Missouri’s most common kind of watersnake is found statewide. Because it’s large, dark, and lives along lakes, swamps, and streams, it is often mistaken for the venomous western cottonmouth. In warm weather, they bask on branches, logs, or rocks along the water’s edge in and near creeks, rivers, ponds, lakes, and swamps. They eat fish, frogs, tadpoles, toads, and salamanders. This snake is non-venomous, but it will bite viciously if captured and ooze a stinky musk from glands near the base of its tail.
Contact A B Pest Control & Insulation Today!
All snakes, regardless of how dangerous they are, would prefer to be left alone by humans. If you encounter a snake while exploring, give it space. That being said, we hope that this guide will help you to properly identify a snake if you stumble upon one during an outing or in your own back yard. If you happen to notice an oddly high occurrence of run-ins in your yard, you may have a nest on your property. Make the smart and safe choice and contact A B Pest Control & Insulation to come out and remove the nest. We offer animal trapping and removal services and can safely remove those slithery pests and relocate them to a new home that's best for both you and the snake.
Lake of the Ozarks
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