What to know about snakes and hot weather: use caution

By Mollie LaSalle
[email protected]

We are already into the second week of August, and the sweltering high temperatures have a stranglehold on most of the United States. It seems like there is no end in sight, but if we just wait a couple more months, we can look forward to cooler temperatures.

Texas is home to 105 species of snakes, 15 of which are venomous. The top 10 most venomous snakes in Texas are: the Eastern Copperhead, the Broad-banded Copperhead, the Northern Cottonmouth, the Timber Rattlesnake, the Rock Rattlesnake, the Black-tailed Rattlesnake, the Mojave Rattlesnake, the Prairie Rattlesnake, the Western Pygmy Rattlesnake, and the Texas Coral Snake.

If you find a snake, and you’re not sure if it’s poisonous, don’t try to catch it or kill it. Snakes behave unpredictably when provoked or trapped. They can also attack from a distance. Most snake bites happen when people try to move or kill a snake on their own.

It is a common misconception that a snake will strike first; leave it alone, and it won’t bite you. Snakes love warm and sunny days, and they are most active in the late spring, summer and early fall.

Snakes are ecotherms, meaning outdoor temperatures influence their internal temperature and behavior.

During the extremely hot summer months, snakes will find themselves near homes and seek shelter in garages, under decks, and other areas. They are also hunting for food, and water. They seek shelter in tall grass, beneath rocks, shade trees, on decks and under porches. They move around most early in the morning and at dusk. Smaller snakes can enter your home through cracks and crevices. They love overgrown vegetation and grass, and they need moisture to stay cool and hydrated in extreme heat. They are attracted to puddles, wet grass, sunken spots, and stagnant water.

To deter snakes from invading your yard, keep the grass mowed, trim bushes and remove debris.

Make sure your garden hose and water spout aren’t leaking, and don’t over-water the grass and garden.

Also, patch cracks and crevices that snakes can use to gain entry into your house.

  Wild snakes should be avoided any time of the year’ keep your distance if you’re unsure what you are getting yourself into. Unless provoked, most venomous snakes will not strike, but if you are bitten, they first thing you need to do is remain calm, if at all possible. Move away from the area and seek medical attention asap. Each year in the United States, about 8,000 people are bitten by venomous snakes, and about five people die from the bites, because they did not seek immediate medical attention.

Excessive heat and high temperatures not only make humans more irritable and aggressive, it also affects venomous snakes in the same way. Full disclosure: I personally do not like snakes, venomous or not. They make my skin crawl just looking at pictures of them. However, I did conquer my distaste for these creatures not long ago, when I visited a local pet farm in town, and was asked if I wanted to hold one; of course it was a tiny baby snake, so I said “sure, why not”? Ok, put me down for holding and petting a snake, even if was only a tiny one (with cute pink eyes). There was a much bigger one in a glass cage, and I definitely wasn’t going near that; just looking at it through the glass told me that was as close as I was going to get to that one. So, baby snake, yes, huge, big green snake, no.