Snakes are one of the most maligned groups of animals in the USA and a good number of them is exterminated each year for the perception that they pose a serious and life-threatening risk to humans. In the face of all this fear and profiling, not all snakes are as dangerous as they seem, or at least as they are perceived to be. In fact some of them are purely harmless and on the contrary are of great benefit to man. Ask some farmers and they will tell you that they don’t care about rodents. Reason? The snakes around the barn handle that mess, perfectly so and without causing harm to the ecosystem like chemicals would.
Virginia is blessed with a wide variety of environments, from mountains to forests and rivers, all of which provide a perfect habitat for snakes. And to that effect Virginia pays homage to a number of different snakes, both harmless and venomous. Let us examine some of these common reptiles in little detail.
The eastern garter snake is one such lovely creature residing in this part of the US, growing up to twenty six inches in length. This snake is popular because of its wide diet; it eats so many things that it is impossible for it to miss food. And it does not restrict itself to a specific shelter; you can find it almost anywhere from riverbanks to abandoned buildings.
The northern Black racer is another name in this category, normally large with a maximum length of sixty inches. It has strikingly large eyes as well and its appearance is appearance, but even with all the threatening looks it is difficult to get it attacking a human!
The eastern hognose has its nose turned up, a feature that allows it to dig up toads and frogs near river banks with ease. While this creature is largely harmless, it mimics the head-flattening features of a cobra to ward off potential enemies and safeguard its territory when it feels threatened.
The rat snake is another common member of snakes in Virginia with some varieties growing to as much as ten feet. However, majority of these reptiles do range between two and four feet. Their docile nature have also made them the darling as most snake lovers for it really take too much of an effort to get the rat snake worked up.
Venomous snakes of Virginia
Are there some poisonous snakes living in Virginia? Definitely yes, and most of them have numerous harmless look-alikes in the same region too! The eastern cottonmouth, the northern copperhead and the timber rattle=snakes are some of the three common venomous snakes taking up their residencies in various parts of Virginia. The northern copperhead lives in numerous places – but loves the rodents for its meal. The timber rattlesnake and the eastern cottonmouth live in the western mountainous part and the southeastern corner of Virginia respectively.
Read more:
Snake Control,
Venomous Snakes of Florida,
How to Identify Snakes,
How to Kill Snakes.
