Survey results: All about snakes

Snakes, and more specifically, snakes people think look like copperheads, are alive and well this summer in the 280 area, according to several of the 44 people who answered our recent Snakes in 280 survey, in addition to several of the 190 people that answered our sister publication Village Living's recent Snakes in Mountain Brook survey.  

In the eastern U.S., copperheads are by far the most common of the venomous snakes. Ken Marion, a professor in the UAB Department of Biology, and Dan Self, zoological manager of reptiles at the Birmingham Zoo, took some time with Village Living to address some common concerns about snakes.

"You’re most likely to run into one [a copperhead] rather than a rattlesnake or something like that," Marion said. Only a couple of respondents mentioned rattlesnakes. Some respondents mentioned what they identified as rat snakes or chicken snakes, usually gray; another few described garter, or green garden snakes; a few people mentioned large king snakes, usually black; and another few respondents said water moccasins or what they referred to as water snakes. Copperheads, by far, were the species people were most concerned about.

About 43 percent of the respondents have lived in the 280 area for 10-20 years, and a little less than a third of them having lived in the area over 20 years. 

Marion said copperheads tend to hold small to moderate-sized populations in suburbs because they're camouflaged. Self added copperheads seem to be fairly common in the Birmingham area because they blend in very well to their surroundings, and their bites can be "painful, as well as medically significant." 

But he added they aren't necessarily the most dangerous.

"They also have the least potent venom... So your chances to any fatalities are extremely small," he said. 

There are very few records of copperheads causing any fatalities, and if they do, Marion said it's usually associated with people with some another health problem.

He said there are also some snakes that look like copperheads, including one of the most common water snakes in the area that is copper-red and grey with bands that are very similar to copperheads.

"So everyone thinks that all those snakes in the water are like copperheads, but they're not," Marion said. They are usually called the common or northern water snake, and can sometimes crawl away from creeks and confuse people.

Marion and Self both said most snakes found in people's yards are not venomous, which is something people should always keep in mind while dealing with snakes, especially during certain times of the year like June. 

Most snakes breed in the spring, so many are seen throughout the end of spring and into summer as the young snakes learn to hunt on their own, Self said.

"Generally, you are more likely to encounter snakes during the daylight hours in the spring and fall, and as the days get hotter, many species tend to shift their activity to cooler hours or during the nighttime," Self said. 

Most importantly, it's best to not mess with snakes if you notice them, and to stay away from copperheads, Marion said. If a copperhead bites a person or pet, be sure to seek immediate medical attention for it. 

"If you have copperheads on your property, call a professional wildlife service, some pest control companies also deal with wildlife removal, too," Self said. 

Self urges people to never kill snakes just for the fun of it.

If they are worried about safety, Self said people can reduce the possibility of getting bitten by a copperhead or other snake by getting rid of the snakes' food supply, such as rodents or squirrels, and keeping brush or wood piles out of the yard so they don't provide places for the snakes to hide.

If you’ve seen copperheads in your neighborhoods or have seen them in the backyard before, Marion said to watch where you put your bare hands, especially in grassy areas where you can't see everything, and to watch where you walk. Avoid walking outside with flip flops or without shoes in grassy areas. 

"Snakes, like most animals, like hiding spots. They like spots they’ll call home, that they can go in and hide and go out and hunt for things, then go back to those same spots," Marion said. "So if you have things like old log piles, or old lumber, or a pile of old tree limbs, those are things that can be hiding spots. If you can avoid putting wood or other types of debris out into the yard for long periods of times, it’s probably eliminating hiding spots."

Both Marion and Self said the best way to not be afraid of snakes is to be educated about them and be able to quickly identify which are venomous. 

Several dozen people in the survey referred to looking at the coloring and banding as their method for identifying a snake, but the majority of survey respondents said they look to the shape of the head to guess whether it is venomous or not. Multiple people described looking for a “triangular,” ”arrow-shaped,” “diamond-shaped” or an increasingly “well-defined” head as indicators for venomous snakes.

Self did not recommend this method.

“The problem with that is that it is really subjective. All snakes have triangular shaped heads. Vipers, which includes copperheads, cottonmouths and rattlesnakes have pronounced triangular shaped heads. Depending on what position the snake is in and what angle you view the snake from the head of any snake may appear triangular. Additionally, many snakes will flatten their head out when threatened,” he explained, adding that hognose snakes and garter snakes are well known for doing this.

“The best way [to identify snakes] is to learn what the snakes in our area look like,” Self said, referring to the coloring and banding of the snake.

Additionally, survey respondents described identifying whether a snake is venomous by if it rattles. Self said this can be a tricky method because many snakes, both venomous and non-venomous, vibrate their tails in a way people often mistake for rattling.  

However, Self said that there are more than 40 snakes found in Alabama, so learning them all may be a problem. There are a total of six venomous species in Alabama, he said, and five are found in the Birmingham area.

"It’s unfortunate that the reaction to snakes for most people is to kill every one of them I think," Marion said. "It’s unfortunate because snakes are part of natural ecosystem – whether it’s in your backyard or in the woods or something – a lot of the snakes, including copperheads, will eat mice and chipmunks, things of this nature that some people consider pests."

He said if you don't know whether a snake is venomous, stay on the cautious side and assume it is. The way to stay safe around venomous snakes, Self said, is to not bother them.

If there is still concern, Self said there are ways to change landscaping that would reduce the "likability" of a yard to a snake.

But for those who want to maintain the natural state of a piece of property, Marion stressed that's "perfectly fine," and he doesn't want people destroying their yard just to make it an open grassy area.

"It is just something important just to realize the more natural your yard is and the more potential stuff you have out in your yard, the more likely you're going to attract animals of all kind," Marion said.