It's snake season in Missouri, and you know what that means! It's that time when you're constantly on the lookout for any creepy slithering snakes hanging around your home. In last week's blog, we talked about 5 Venomous Snakes of Missouri. This week, we're going to cover some of the common snakes that are local to the lake area that are NOT venomous. So, here's 5 Non-Venomous Snakes of Missouri.
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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