So I Like Snakes: All Your Questions, Answered
(This is a resource with factual information to correct common snake myths, explanations of why we need snakes in the environment, and also a list of resources for snake identification, relocation, etc.)
Q: Oh, you like snakes? Let me tell you ALL ABOUT the time I killed a snake!
A: Sure, let me tell you all about all the dogs I’ve killed! Seriously, though, your first response to someone saying they like an animal should NOT be “let me tell you about the time I killed one”. If I did not have to put this on here, I would not have put this on here.
Now that we’ve got that out of the way, on to the most useful information!
Q: Don’t snakes eat people? I heard a story where a pet snake laid in bed with someone to measure them up before eating its owner.
A: This is a myth. Snakes do not “measure up their owners” to eat them.
Q: Don’t snakes chase people? Aren’t they super aggressive?
A: This is another myth. Snakes aren’t aggressive, they want to leave you alone. That’s the entire reason rattlesnakes have rattles and cobras have hoods- they want to warn you away so they don’t have to be defensive.
Q: But my brother’s uncle’s cousin’s bestie told me about a time they were chased by a cottonmouth / water moccasin!
A: Again, snakes don't chase people. There’s a myth that cottonmouths do this, but it is false. If someone claims to have been chased by a cottonmouth, they may have been observing a behavior called "aggressive fleeing", which is when the snake essentially “acts tough” so that it isn’t attacked and has a chance to get away. This is not the same thing as the snake “chasing you”!
Q: Don’t we have to kill them to protect ourselves from snakebites?
A: Actually, most snakebites (in the US) are caused by people either trying to kill the snake or picking it up and handling it. Leaving snakes alone is the best way to avoid getting bitten, and if you need to relocate it, there’s a map of free snake relocators you can use. Or, you can just spritz it with a hose. It will leave. In the case that you have pets, specifically dogs, you can get “rattlesnake training” so that your pet will learn to leave snakes alone and even alert you to their presence. And even in these cases, it’s important to remember that the risk of getting killed by a snake in the US is insanely low. You have more of a chance of being killed by a neighborhood dog than a snake.
Q: But snakes don’t do anything for the environment / “The only good snake is a dead snake.”
A: Snakes are an essential part of the environment. They’re some of nature’s most effective pest control, and form a large part of many animal’s diets. When snakes are killed, including as part of rattlesnake roundups or just as a result of people presuming “the only good snake is a dead snake”, that takes a toll on the environment as a whole, not just the snakes. For instance, there is evidence that timber rattlesnakes help control Lyme disease, but their numbers are in decline due to humans.
Q: Even venomous snakes?
A: Yes, even venomous snakes. As a matter of fact, even humans get massive benefits from venomous snakes outside of the environmental benefit they give us. Russel’s Viper venom is used to make blood tests, for instance. And, as mentioned before, Timber Rattlesnakes help control Lyme disease.
Q: I heard rattlesnakes are losing their rattles because [insert reason].
Q: I heard baby snakes are so much more dangerous than adults because they can inject more venom!
Q: My cat kills snakes.
A: Here’s a summary from the Phylobot from the r/snakes and r/whatsthissnake subreddit, explaining why this is an issue:
“Everyone loves cats, but they belong indoors. Each year in the United States free-ranging domestic cats kill 1.3-4.0 billion birds and 6.3-22.3 billion mammals. Numbers for reptiles are similar in Australia, as 2 million reptiles are killed each day by cats, totaling 650 million a year. Outdoor cats are directly responsible for the extinction of at least 33 species worldwide and are considered one of the biggest threats to native wildlife. Keeping cats indoors is also better for them and public health - cats with outdoor access live shorter lives and are 2.77 times more likely to carry infectious pathogens.”
Other Resources
Need help identifying a snake? Use the r/whatsthissnake subreddit! It’s full of folks who can reliably ID snakes from across the world, with herpetologists and snake experts to make sure the IDs are correct. Just post a photo (videos tend to get compressed), put a general location in the title in brackets (try not to be too specific, as people will use locations to poach snakes if they’re too specific), and ask away!
The SEB-PHYLOBOT on r/snakes, r/whatsthissnake, and r/herpetology provided a lot of the relevant links for the information above, and has plenty more to offer. You can access it through those subreddits using bot commands (use the command !about to get info on the bot and its commands). It has general info as well as species profiles for many snake types commonly encountered.
Need help relocating a snake? Here’s a map of free snake relocators you can use. And if none are nearby, you can give the snake a spritz with the hose to convince it to leave.
Want to learn more about snakes or learn to ID snakes yourself? The r/whatsthissnake subreddit is perfect for getting exposure to different kinds of snakes. IDs are all checked by moderators / reliable responders to ensure accuracy, and RR’s have plenty of info to back up the IDs, like range maps, scale details, and coloration. There’s specific bot commands for certain tips for ID, like !cottonwater for the difference between cottonmouths and watersnakes, !rhyme for an analysis on why the color-based rhyme for coral snakes is ineffective, and !blackrat for IDs on specific types of rat snakes.
I want to see cute snakes. Great! Head on over to r/sneks, we’ve got your back. Enjoy the cute boop noodles.
I want to see venomous snakes. Fantastic! Head on over to r/venomouskeepers, where folks who RESPONSIBLY keep “hots” (venomous snakes) go to talk about their hobby. And also share fantastic photographs of their spicy babies.