Misconceptions about snakes

BY SUSIE BARNES

Have you ever enjoyed a peaceful stroll through the woods and suddenly had a snake slither across your path? If so, it’s a good chance that it was a rat snake! They are very common in our area, along with a few other species.

There are a lot of misconceptions about snakes in general. A big one is that snakes are slimy. This simply isn’t true. They are actually cool and dry. Many people believe snakes are poisonous. Technically no snake is poisonous. Poison must be inhaled, ingested, or absorbed into the skin. Venom must be injected, which some snakes can do with their fangs. Rat snakes don’t have fangs. Luckily, in our area of Ohio, it would be incredibly rare to run across a venomous snake.

Another myth is that snakes are aggressive. Completely untrue. Snakes do not attack unprovoked. Humans are way too big for them to eat, so they really just want to escape. Another big misconception is that a snake can dislocate its jaws to swallow prey. Their jaws aren’t fused together like ours. They are connected by a ligament that gives them incredible flexibility.

Rat snakes are constrictors. This means that they squeeze their prey to stop the blood flow, which stops the heart and, eventually, their prey’s breathing. They then can eat the prey’s head first. Snakes have strong digestive juices that break down fur, feathers, and bone. It takes a snake three to five days to digest their food.

These fabulous snakes are also incredible climbers and swimmers! This gives them a more diverse diet. They can eat mice and other small rodents, such as voles and chipmunks, as well as fish, frogs, and small lizards.

Rat snakes can grow seven to eight feet! They can be found just about anywhere. One of their super cool traits is when threatened, they can mimic a rattlesnake. They will rattle their tails at predators until they run away. Another trait is that they can do something called “musking.” Generally, rat snakes are calm and docile, but if threatened, they emit a foul-smelling musk. They do this to try and fool their predator into thinking the musk is poison.

Many believe that rat snakes hibernate in the winter, but this isn’t exactly true. They aren’t as active, but they do something called brumate. Brumation is kind of like hibernation, except they wake up once in a while to drink.

Rat snakes and snakes, in general, are great for the environment. They are a superior form of eco-friendly pest control. In Iowa, farmers release corn snakes into their fields to control the rodent population. Unfortunately, rat poison and glue traps affect them. If they eat a poisoned rodent, they ingest the poison as well. Snakes also can get caught in glue traps. They just starve or die from stress.

If you really don’t want snakes on your property, there are a few things you can do to deter them. Try to stay rodent-free. There are live traps available. Remove water sources. Remove anything the snake could use as a shelter. This would be things like firewood, rocks and debris. Keep your grass short and trim overgrown trees and shrubs. Patch up holes in your outbuildings. Snakes can fit into a small space. If you do happen to run into a snake, please don’t throw rocks at it or hit it with a broom. It just makes them defensive. Give them space and a little time and they will leave.