Venomous Snakes

In the United States, there are four species of venomous snakes and within those four species there are several subspecies of venomous snakes. The four species are rattlesnakes, cottonmouths/water moccasins, copperheads, and coral snakes. Below, I’ll discuss each of the species, where they live, how to avoid them, and what to do if bitten.

I came across this rattlesnake while hiking in a narrow spot of Buckskin Gulch in southern Utah

There are actually several different types of rattlesnake. Pictured here is a photo of a western diamondback that I took last year while hiking in Buckskin Gulch, a slot canyon on the Utah/Arizona border. The western diamondback and the eastern diamondback rattlesnakes are the two most common and widespread of all the subspecies. There are at least a dozen other subspecies of rattlesnakes in the United States, and all are venomous. Out of all the species of rattlesnake, the eastern diamondback is the largest, growing up to 6 to 8 feet in length.

Luckily, if you see one you don’t have to verify what type of rattlesnake it is, because they all look similar and they all use their rattles. Besides the eastern diamondback, most other adult rattlesnakes reach lengths of nearly four feet, however they can grow as long as five feet in some instances.

Different subspecies of rattlesnake are reportedly found in every state in the union, with the exception of Alaska, Hawaii, Maine, and Delaware.

Perhaps the only good thing about rattlesnakes is that they do a good job letting you know that they are around by rattling. You will almost always hear the rattle before you see the rattlesnake. Be careful, because they can be aggressive, and sometimes they don’t back down to confrontation. If you cross paths with a rattlesnake, do the following:

Back off slowly, stomping your feet as you move back so the snake can feel the vibrations getting farther away. Sometimes they will slither away when they feel the danger is gone. If you can go around in another direction, do so. A rattlesnake’s strike distance can be up to one-third to one half of its overall length so give it a wide berth. If you can’t go around in another direction, wait 5-10 minutes after the snake slithers from view. After you feel that you’ve given the snake sufficient time to leave the immediate area, slowly move forward, stomping your feet as you go, alerting the rattlesnake that you’re there. If you hear a rattle, follow the steps from above. Be patient and give the snake time to leave.

A couple of years back, I was trail running up to a low mountain peak about two hours from my home. After reaching the top, I spent 20 minutes resting and enjoying the views. When I decided to head back, I took the same trail down that I had taken just the hour before. After about 45 minutes of trail running, I was just a couple of miles from the trailhead, when right in the middle of the trail was a coiled western diamondback rattlesnake. I almost didn’t spot it in time. I slammed on the brakes. The rattle was going crazy and my adrenaline was pumping. I’d had encounters with rattlesnakes before, but none this close.

I’d never come across one this big. It looked to be about 4-5 feet long, and was pretty agitated. Most rattlesnakes avoid confrontation and quickly slither away. This one didn’t. It was standing its ground, and was ready to strike if I moved any closer. My training kicked in. Initially, I was only about 2-3 feet away from the rattlesnake, so I was very fortunate that it didn’t bite me. I began to stomp my feet and take several small steps backward. After backing up about 8-10 feet it stopped rattling, but didn’t move off the trail. It was a showdown. I continued to stomp my feet and walk farther away from the rattlesnake. After I was about 20 feet away from the snake it slowly slithered off the trail and into the brush. This was the only trail back to the trailhead, so I had to be patient.

I waited in my spot for what seemed like an hour, but I’m sure it was only five minutes or so before I began stomping my feet and taking small steps forward. With each step forward, I stomped a little harder. I had walked this way for 6-8 feet and then the rattling started again. While I was hoping that it had slithered some 5 miles away, but “Gomer” (the name I gave the rattlesnake) was barely off the trail. The vegetation on either side of the dirt trail was over two feet tall and thick so I didn’t know Gomer was still there. I couldn’t see him. Gomer and I had a little showdown for about 20 minutes. I think he finally cooled off and slithered away. Just to be safe I walked about 4 feet off the trail on the opposite side of where I saw Gomer disappear, and then continued my hike down, feeling very fortunate that I didn’t get bitten.

Speaking of which, here is an interesting statistic on rattlesnake bites, It has been determined that 1 in 4 bites do not inject venom. This is called a dry bite. This usually occurs because the snake was startled, and it’s immediate reflex is to bite to defend itself, not to kill prey. Now, if the rattlesnake is agitated, or repeatedly poked with a stick, cornered, etc, it is going load up and deliver a solid bite, and possibly even multiple bites. An adult rattlesnake is more likely to conserve venom for something it actually is trying to hunt. Rattlesnake bites rarely cause death if treated properly and quickly. Now if bitten by a rattlesnake, these are the steps that need to be taken:

• Remain calm and retreat a safe distance from the snake. Get the victim transported to a medical facility as soon as possible.
• Remove restrictive clothing items (rings, bracelets, watches, buttoned shirts, etc.) from the victim. Parts of the body, especially the extremities may experience swelling.
• Keep any bitten limbs below heart level. This will slow the venom from being pumped through the body.
• If (and only if) the victim is more than 1 hour away from a medical facility, place a lightly constricting band (that admits one finger beneath it) above the bitten area to prevent the systemic spread of the venom
• Call ahead to the medical facility and alert them to the type of venomous snake bite, so that the anti-venom with be ready or in route upon arrival.
• Do your best keep the victim calm, which may be difficult, but  keep them warm and give them comfort and reassurance. The faster the heart rate, the faster the venom will pump through the blood stream.

When treating any type of snake bite, NEVER try to suck out the venom, nor administer to the victim any type of painkillers, nor apply a cold compress to the bite area.

If anti-venom is administered within two hours of the bite, the probability of recovery is better than 99%.

Many people think that the Cottonmouth and the Water Moccasin are different venomous snakes. They are actually the same snake.

Many individuals think that the cottonmouth and the water moccasin are two different snakes, but in all reality they are one of the same. I would have to say that in all my encounters with poisonous snakes, the experiences that have shaken me up the most both occurred with a cottonmouth/water moccasin. Both times the snake was highly aggressive, to the point to where I felt like it was almost pursuing me. I had not knowingly done anything to provoke it. As far as I know I was just hiking along a trail.

As you can see from the picture, the “cottonmouth” comes from the white “cotton” color of the inside of the mouth, which is displayed when threatened and on the defensive. The range of the cottonmouth is primarily in the southeastern United States, as far north as  Missouri, as far as central Texas, across to North Carolina, and down to Florida. It prefers living near water sources, such as lakes, ponds, and creeks, and spends considerable time in the water, where it gets the name water moccasin.

They have been various reports of the these snakes being highly aggressive and easily agitated, while others say that the cottonmouth is very passive. I suppose  that a lot has to do with the situation, the time of season, etc. With that being said, I’m not going to personally stick around and diagnose the temperament of every cottonmouth that I come across. I’m steering clear of it! Cottonmouths normal grow between 3 to 4 feet in length, although some have been found as long as six feet.

If bitten by a cottonmouth, follow the same instructions as that of a rattlesnake bite.

• Remain calm and retreat a safe distance from the snake. Get the victim transported to a medical facility as soon as possible.
• Remove restrictive clothing items (rings, bracelets, watches, buttoned shirts, etc.) from the victim. Parts of the body, especially the extremities may experience swelling.
• Keep any bitten limbs below heart level. This will slow the venom from being pumped through the body.
• If (and only if) the victim is more than 1 hour away from a medical facility, place a lightly constricting band (that admits one finger beneath it) above the bitten area to prevent the systemic spread of the venom
• Call ahead to the medical facility and alert them to the type of venomous snake bite, so that the anti-venom with be ready or in route upon arrival.
• Do your best keep the victim calm, which may be difficult, but  keep them warm and give them comfort and reassurance. The faster the heart rate, the faster the venom will pump through the blood stream.

When treating any type of snake bite, NEVER try to suck out the venom, nor administer to the victim any type of painkillers, nor apply a cold compress to the bite area.

The scale pattern of a Copperhead can make it very difficult to spot in a woodland environment

The copperhead is a close relative to the cottonmouth. However, the venom of the copperhead is the least potent of all the species of venomous snakes in the United States, but don’t be mistaken, it can still kill you. The range of the copperhead is similar to that of the cottonmouth with the exception that it is not found south of the Florida panhandle, but it does extend farther north up through Pennsylvania and southern New York State. They usually grow to about 3 feet in length, and are excellent in concealment due to their color pattern. With that being said, the copperhead is prone to “freezing” instead of fleeing when approached unlike most other non-venomous and venomous snakes, possibly due to the effectiveness of its camouflage. Most bites occur from accidentally stepping on one the has blended into the ground.

First aid for the copperhead is as follows:

• Remain calm and retreat a safe distance from the snake. Get the victim transported to a medical facility as soon as possible.
• Remove restrictive clothing items (rings, bracelets, watches, buttoned shirts, etc.) from the victim. Parts of the body, especially the extremities may experience swelling.
• Keep any bitten limbs below heart level. This will slow the venom from being pumped through the body.
• If (and only if) the victim is more than 1 hour away from a medical facility, place a lightly constricting band (that admits one finger beneath it) above the bitten area to prevent the systemic spread of the venom
• Call ahead to the medical facility and alert them to the type of venomous snake bite, so that the anti-venom with be ready or in route upon arrival.
• Do your best keep the victim calm, which may be difficult, but  keep them warm and give them comfort and reassurance. The faster the heart rate, the faster the venom will pump through the blood stream.

When treating any type of snake bite, NEVER try to suck out the venom, nor administer to the victim any type of painkillers, nor apply a cold compress to the bite area.

The Coral Snake snake is rarely seen, and is the smallest of all the venomous snakes in the United States

The coral snake occupies arid and semiarid regions in many different habitat types including desert-scrub, woodland, grassland and farmland. It is found in the plains and lower mountain slopes from sea level to 5800 feet. It’s range is from the southern half of Arizona, and southern part of Texas, and includes all the southern portions of southeast states, up to the coast of North Carolina.