Snakes

This 2005 image depicted a timber rattlesnake, Crotalus horridus, a large, heavy bodied, banded rattlesnake that ranges throughout a large portion of eastern and central North America, placing it in hurricane-prone areas, which is of importance to those living in these regions, and first-responders offering aid to those affected by such a disaster.Its ground color varies across its geographic range, but is generally yellow to tan with variable amounts of black stippling (Connant 1975). With its long fangs, it’s able to introduce large amounts of potent venom per bite. Laboratory and field evidence suggest that the venom from individuals originating from certain populations in the South contain larger fractions of neurotoxic peptides than their northern counterparts (Tennant, 1998). The preferred habitat of the species varies across the range and includes upland deciduous forests, rocky ridges, riparian corridors, cypress swamps, cane reed thickets and wet prairie regions.Created: 2005

Category hierarchy: Animals | ReptilesDescription: An emerald tree boa is camouflaged in a green plant.Capture device: Canon EOS 30DLocality: Latitude: 3.892955560000000e+001; Longitude: -7.704969939999999e+001

This was a Texas coral snake, Micrurus tener tener in Galveston County, Texas. The eastern coral snake, Micrurus fulvius fulvius, is very similar in appearance, and differs primarily in the distribution of black mottling within the red segments. To the uninitiated, the harmless milk snake, Lampropeltis triangulum annulata, (see PHIL# 8142), is often mistaken for this highly venomous counterpart. In contrast to the vipers, the fangs of the coral snakes and other elapids are short hollow structures that are permanently fixed in position on the anterior maxillary bones, i.e., proteroglyphous dentation (Porter, 1972). Because of their small size and short fangs, the North American coral snakes pose little risk to individuals wearing appropriate clothing and footwear. Most human envenomations occur on the hands after a coral snake was erroneously identified as a harmless king snake, and intentionally handled (Kitchens 1987).Created: 2005

This is a northern black tailed rattlesnake, Crotalus molossus molossus. It’s range includes portions of southern and central Arizona, southern New Mexico and southwestern Texas and adjacent Mexico (Connant 1975). In the eastern aspect of its range, it inhabits the wooded canyons, cliffs and rock piles in the west-central Edwards Plateau, and the adjacent Chihuahuan Desert. Though present only in the southwestern extreme of the hurricane prone region of North America (Tennant, 1998), it is of importance to those living in these regions, and first-responders offering aid to those affected by such a disaster.Typically a mild tempered rattlesnake, it still packs moderate, to large amounts of potent venom. Because of apparent antigenic differences in black tailed rattlesnake venom, treating bites with CroFab antivenin can require comparatively larger doses than bites of other rattlesnake species (Consroe et al., 1995; Sanchez et al 2003a, 2003b; Yarema and Curry, 2005)Created: 2005

This 2005 image depicted a venomous trans-Pecos copperhead snake, Agkistrodon contortrix pictigaster. As the southwestern-most subspecie, it is the only copperhead that ranges across the Rio Grande into Mexico (Cambell and Lamar 2004). It lives in a variety of habitats throughout the Chihuahuan Biotic Province of southwestern Texas and adjacent North-central Mexico, and is therefore, present only in the southwestern extreme of the hurricane-prone area of the United States (Gloyd and Conant, 1990), which is of importance to those who live in these regions, and first-responders offering aid to those affected by such a disaster. Its home includes riperian woodlands, forested canyons, canebrakes, and dry scrubby flatlands, preferring piles of dead cane that accumulate along rivers, which makes it particularly vulnerable to being translocated by rapidly rising flood waters (Gloyd and Connant, 1990) such as those associated with hurricane-associated floods.Created: 2005

This western diamondback rattlesnake, Crotalus atrox, is a well known, large, gray to rust-colored serpent that is widely distributed across the southwestern to southcentral aspect of the United States, and adjacent Mexico (Klauber, 1997; Campbell and Lamar, 2004). It’s abundant along 80% of the Texas Gulf Coast and its barrier islands, as well as the Tamaulipan region along the southern Rio Grande valley (Tennant 1998), placing it in hurricane-prone areas, which is of importance to those living in these regions, and first-responders offering aid to those affected by such a disaster. The average adult size varies considerably across its range. In Starr, Willacy and Hidalgo counties in South Texas, C. atrox commonly grow over 5ft. in length, (Tennant, 1998), and is a highly-excitable, aggressive rattlesnake, responsible for a significant portion of the venomous snake bites, and most of the snakebite fatalities reported in the U. S. each year (Russell, 1980; Gold, 2002).Created: 2005

I IDed this originally as a ribbonsnake. However i received the following note, 'Upon close examination, my colleague and I confirmed that the snakes you saw are actually Gartersnakes, not Ribbonsnakes. Nice try though! I can see that there is a fair bit of yellow near the eye that can be deceiving. But on a Ribbonsnake that spot would be more crescent-shaped and pure white. Also, the lateral stripes are centered on the second scale row, as opposed to the third and fourth.'