Snake Infestation is Inevitable (Just got this in an e-mail)

Snake experts tell 1200 WOAI news that late August and September will see an explosion of snakes in back yards, as the critters start slithering out looking for something to eat.
“They’re very hungry right now,” central Texas snake expert Jerry Cates tells 1200 WOAI news, in a statement which is creepy on its surface. “The hungrier they get, the more they start ranging the fields looking for food.” He says that’s why we can expect snakes to show up in places where they are seldom seen.
He says the three most common types of poisonous snakes in Texas are the common rattlesnake, the Texas coral snake, and the cottonmouth, which is relatively rare.
The rattlesnake has the distinctive rattle at the end of the snake, but Cates cautions that the snake doesn’t always rattle the rattler, so if you don’t hear the tell-tale sound, don’t think it’s not a dangerous rattlesnake.
If it is a colorful, banded coral snake, Cates says the Boy Scout nursery rhyme really does tell you whether the snake is dangerous or not. “Red touch yellow, kill a fellow. Red touch black, venom lack. That is probably the best way to remember that.”
He says snakes will almost always retreat when confronted by humans, and he says many people are startled by how fast snakes can travel.
If the worst happens, and you get snake bit, Cates says get to the doctor as quickly as possible. He says snake bites are actually less painful than a sting from a scorpion or a wasp, and he says the victim may not experience the effects of the venom right away, but, as anybody who has seen movies ranging from ‘Lonesome Dove’ to ‘True Grit’ can attest, snake bites are nothing to mess with.
He says the venom will begin kicking in a few hours, and frequently leads to paralysis, respiratory failure, and can be fatal. And he says a snake bite will drain your wallet as well.
“If you are bitten by a venomous snake, you and your insurance provider together are going to spend between $50,000 and $150,000 in medical bills,” he said.
Cates says as we approach mid August and get into September, we should be aware of the fact that snakes are likely to pop up in all sorts of places. He says you should put the flip-flops aside, and wear leather shoes or boots whenever you are walking in or around tall grass brush, or while you are doing gardening work or lawn mowing.
He warns that even if rains do come to the region, the snake infestation is inevitable. He says the snakes are ranging looking for their favorite prey, which is rodents, and a couple of rains won’t suddenly produce a crop of rodents for the snakes to eat.
Wise Eyesparticipants are encouraged to share all Wise Eyes Alerts with friends and neighbors. Anyone wanting to receive the Wise Eyes Alerts, should E-Mail Wise Eyes at wiseeyes@johnsoncountytx.org and ask to be placed on the E-Mail list. Please provide your name and either your address or the Johnson County precinct in which you live.

Looks like I am staying inside until Christmas

this looks alot like this post:

http://texasfishingforum.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/6566135/Snakes_a_coming#Post6566135

Why did he leave out copperheads? They are much more dangerous than corals.

It’s probably posted everywhere and I haven’t had a chance to check it out to see if it’s even legitimate, but I thought it was kinda interesting so I posted it on here. If it’s old news sorry I wasted your time.

Rex

It's for real. My 35 year old son was bitten on the toe last Friday night while walking across the yard in flip flops after dark. I carried him to the ER where they gave him the anti-venom. It was classified a mild bite and the swelling was confined to below the knee. He was released Saturday and returned to work on Wednesday. Didn't see what kind of snake but the ER folks said the anti-venom they used was not for coral snake bite in fact they did not keep it on hand.

Yea I would have thought they would have listed copperheads.

$50,000 to $150,000 seems a little steep for meds. KG68 did it cost that much?

A 6 year old was bitten by a prarie rattler on the school ground out in the county last week. Luckily he was rushed to the ER and they got him fixed up. He did spend 3 days in Pediatric ICU.

Good write up.Ihave never seen a cottonmouth here in north tx.I know people confuse them with the diamond back water snake which can be very aggressive,but like your article says they(cottonmouth)are rare to be seen around here.

and are the most common of the FOUR types of poisonous snakes native to Texas

The little I can add to this discussion is that it IS important to know what kind of snake you were bitten by, even if just a description.

Some of our lethal snakes carry neurotoxins, others carry a hemotoxin.

A different anti-venom is needed for each type.

In addition, if I remember correctly, Coral and Copperheads are only found in deciduous forests - defined by high rainfall and multiple hardwoods. In other words, forests that produce a lot of Fall colors, like East TX.

That might explain why a Hospital in Central TX wouldn't have the anti-venom for Coral snakes.

Thanks for the heads-up, OP!

There are only 4-5 "lethal" snakes in North America. I say 4, because the fifth, as I waas taught, is simply a subspecies of the Rattlesnake.

And yep, we've got all four in Texas.

That's the best of my memory from a BS in Biology. Maybe a Herpatologist will chime in.

I have killed two copperheads already this summer here in Rockwall. They were not adults as they still had the yellow/greenish on their tails. They were very agressive little fellas.

My son cares Scott&White insurance and the Hamilton hospital is S&W affiliated. A friend went and picked him up the next day and I haven't found that out yet. In most cases you don't see the final bill for weeks but one night in the hospital plus ER and bloodwork and the anti-venom I wouldn't think it was that much. I'll try and post that up here if and when I find out.

Cottonmouth are not as rare as been said. They are along most any creek bed. Especially those with water. They float on top of the water when they swim, verses the watersnake whose body will be under water but their heads will be above water when they swim. I've seen them often in finger channels of Richland Chambers.

My dad got bitten by a rat snake in the back yard around this time last year. Scared him more than hurt him he jumped higher than I knew he could. Pretty comical actually. Just thankful it wasn't a copperhead.

Then the next day my dog sniffed out a snake, dont know if it was the snake, and killed it.

I've been fortunate. Lived in Texas for over 15yrs and have never seen a rattlesnake in the wild. I fear from the report I just read at the top of this thread, this might be my year. I hope I ONLY SEE one!

I hate snakes!

he says snake bites are less painfull than wasp sting....he not know what he say.

seen a few corals here in san antonio and farther west, pretty dry this way, had a coral on my back porch but got through a crack and under my house befor i could catch him.
copperheads to, know of several bites to friends and family, lucky the copperhead bit aint to serious.

+2 . .

Snakes don't give me the melt down as much as spiders but still not a huge fan. Got saved from a copperhead last summer by a Mexican that works for me. Dude was FAST with a machete because this thing came out of the cattle guard at my boot and Juan saw him coil up or whatever they do right before he struck and took his head off.

I bought that guy a lot of lunches for a while.

Coral snakes are in the cobra family and while their fangs aren't as developed as their cousins they have the most toxic venom of any snake in the US. They are rear fixed fanged snakes which means they need to get a really good mouthful to inject venom.
Anti-Venom starts around $10K a vial and it usually takes several to save someone. Don't mess around with a unidentified snakes.

It would be very rare to get bitten by a coral snake.

Dont know about other counties, but Coryell County(Central Texas) has it's share of copperheads
County Ag. Guys are telling everyone, that the rattlesnake has gotten to where it does'nt rattle as much, they are saying that it is being caused by the overpopulation of wild hogs (hogs will eat snakes), and they are striking without ratteling
My cousin across the road has killed 3 this year, and none of them have rattled

On of the largest timber rattlers I have ever seen was 6' long and at least 14" around his middle. He was hit by a car just ahead on me as he tried to cross a road. He had no rattles at all. He couldn't have rattled if he'd wanted to. I was told the rattles get softened sometimes because the snakes like to stay under rotted logs in the bottom land where they normally live, and the moisture will soften the normally shell-like rattles. Then when the snake crawls under or thru something tight fitting the rattles will break off. This would seldom happen with drier climate rattlers like prairie or diamondbacks. It would make for a very dangerous situation to come upon one of these, not see him because of the cover, and even if he was shaking his tail like crazy no sound was made.

I stepped over the largest copperhead I have ever seen on the end of a dock at pier 21 marina about 15 years ago. It was so large and out of place I thought it was rubber. I worked for a few minutes on the sailboat and when I started past it coming back in , it moved. We were a good 70 yards from the land. I told the marina operator about it and he proceeded to tell me they don't go in water and would not be where I said ever.
As I was loading my tools in the truck I could here the screaming from the same guy that said I was stupid. He was yelling for his helper to get a hoe or shovel, there was a G D copperhead on the dock.


The copperheads often get discounted as they are only considered lethal for smaller humans around 70 lbs and under. That doesn't do any good for kids or pets.

I remember after the floods from Hurricane Carla , everyone in the neighborhood was finding snakes in the houses. There was simply no dry ground. Still gives me the willies thinking about it.

What kind of snake likes to be in the dirt.. kinda like a worm?
I have seem several babies around my house about 6" long when I was tilling up my garden... but havent been able to catch one to identify it. From the glimpses I have gotten, they are dark greyish and maybe a lighter belly.... I know mama has to be around but havent seen her yet.

this guy as never been bitten by a copperhead....................
I would taken many many wasp stings in trade for the copperhead bite

lucky i have never been bitten , but saw my friend get bit in the hand by a rattler, it wasnt pretty, the way he described the pain, was put your hand down on the concrete and let me smash it with a sledge hammer, and thats what he said he was feeling.

I am not a herpetologist but I did stay at Holiday Inn last night....

Seriously, there are three "Types" of venomous snakes in Texas, Coral Snakes(Micrurus Fulvious), Water Moccasins and Copper Heads (Both in the Agkistrodon family), and Rattlers (Crotalus and Sistrurus).

The Rattlers pose the most danger to adults due to size, toxicity and the amount of venom that can be injected. Also, some of the westernmost species have a "blended" venom which contains both hemotoxic and neurotoxic properties.

Copperheads are the most often encountered venomous species although somewhat less dangerous due to smaller amounts of less toxic venom. Something to remember, smaller/younger snakes have less "control" over their venom injection system and will usually "Dump" everything in their glands resulting in a more serious bite than one would get from an adult snake.

Coral snakes are the single most venomous species in Texas although a coral snake bite is extremely rare due to their secretive nature and rear fangs that require more effort to effect a bite and envenomation. Coral snake carry a neurotoxic venom that is very serious, can cause respiratory and cardiac issues and must be addressed as soon as possible.

Water Moccasins are slightly more dangerous than copperheads but are usually more feared due to their perceived aggressiveness. (If you think water moccasins are aggressive, corner a full grown coachwhip!!!)

Tips to keep your yard snake free (Mostly)during the drought:

Snake-proofing your home

* Keep grass and branches cut short

* Don't stack fireplace logs around your home and clean up branches and brush

* Seal off any cracks or spacing around your air-conditioning units as snakes will sneak inside to find water.

* Place water along the edges of your property that snakes can access so they don't come closer to your home in search of water.

* Don't kill non-venomous snakes found near your home. They feed on rodents who might invite venomous snakes into the area if the other snakes aren't around to consume them.

Of the Rattlers in Texas the most dangerous are in order:

Timber or CaneBrake (Crotalus Horridus) hemo-neuro toxic venom in large quantities

Mojave rattler (Crotalus Scututalus) extremely potent neurotoxic components, found only in extreme west Texas.

Banded or Mottled Rock Rattlers (Crotalus Lepidus) again a hemo-neuro toxic venom.

And lastly the Western Diamondback (Crotalus atrox) it's hemotoxic venom is not particularly potent but the fat that it CAN administer an extremely large dose makes it very formidable.

There are other species, but generally these are the "Big 4" for rattlers in Texas. ANY rattlesnake bite, or snakebite in general, should be treated by qualified medical personnel as soon as possible.

They are called worm snakes. Harmless and don't get much larger than 6". My kids love to play with them.

Every rattler I have ever seen/killed in west tx has never even hinted at rattling...scary stuff

Seldom run across one here but if I should, he wont have much time to rattle!

that about right I was bit in the toes so it was like you took a axe
and split your foot wide open, it was dark when i stepped on it
never saw it coming almost fell hopped to the porch fell pushed away
the blood saw the holes leg swelled for four days then took about three
for the swelling to go away ...

I have heard this for the last three years now and I still laugh every time I hear it. Don't know how this got started, must have been some article some self proclaimed expert wrote, that someone read, but think about it?

How does all those dead or eaten snakes tell the other snakes that they better not rattle because a hog might eat them?

That's funny!

no but what can happen is rattling snakes getting eaten, more passive snakes that dont rattle live anoher day, after so many years you might be left with non rattlin rattlers

Charles Darwin called it natural selection

I was bitten by a Diamond back.Minor bite ;but had years of complications.Only spent one day in the hospital-the bill was $70,000!

Wonder what he calls you, bro, when you're not around? Was that descriptor really necessary to tell the tale?

Cotton mouth's are far more common than people think in North Texas. I have seen many on lake lavon and small creeks and ponds. Don't think you won't come across them because that's when you do. Don't be a wimp and run away just step away slowly and respect em. Every moccasin I have come across has been in strike position but wandered off after I did not challenge it.

I know I've come face to face with 3 of the four. When I was a kid (many years ago) I wandered away from my school group that was visiting the Fort Worth Nature Center and stepped right in the path of a good sized copperhead. I was frozen in fear as stared me down...then out of the blue the tour guide swooped me up as another guide put a world of hurt on the snake with a hoe. Needless to say I got some religion about snakes that day. Later on in life I also saw a rattler sleeping on a bait bucket on a cold day up at the Sheppard AFB Rec Annex's marina (that freaked me out because anyone just reaching down for that bucket of minnows would have gotten it big time!!) I grabbed a very long pole and dumped that critter back in the lake. Was surprised how well they swim. Also had very aggressive water moccasin that tried it's best to crawl up my line while fishing the banks up at Sheppard. Have seen the coral snake yet...could be happy never seeing one really. Hate freekin' snakes, but they seem to find me. Lucky huh? *lol*

There is only one kind of good snake - THATS A DEAD SNAKE!!!!!!!

i think alot of people on here are confusing the difference between a cottonmouth and a COPPER head.

I think a lot of people here need to grow up and learn to deal with nature without killing it because they don't understand or are afraid of it.

I am scared of spiders, ridiculously so even, but I don't kill 'em.

He did, but a coral snake is a killer everytime damn near, especially w/ no fresh antivenin.
Copperheads, not so much. pain? oh hell yeah!, death? probably not.

I grew up in South Florida, It was 30 years ago, I was 12 years old at the time and I was not around at the scene but a young girl I knew had caught a Coral Snake and had been carrying it around with her almost all day and showing it off to her friends. When the snake finally had enough and bit her she was carrying it around her neck, It bit her in the neck and she was dead 5 minutes afterwards. I still have the news paper article.

Snakes serve their purpose.

Without them we'd be overwhelmed with rodents and rabbits.

I try not to kill anything unless it's seriously jackin with me, or I want to eat it.

The way I see it a snake (or any critter for that matter) is just trying to make a living, just like me.

+1 Bingo

I've hunted and fished in Texas all of my life and only seen one coral snake, but I'm a West Texas boy so I guess thats why. The coral snake I did see was while fishing on the Llano river.