Not All Snakes Harmful, but Be Careful

Not All Snakes Harmful, But Be Careful

Not all snakes are harmful, and in fact most snakes are helpful and play an important role in the food chain, says Ken Marion, Ph.D., UAB Department of Biology chair.

"Unfortunately, snakes terrify most people who end up killing them." Little brown snakes eat slugs that get into gardens and eat plants, the King and Rat snakes feed on rodents and King snakes eat other snakes, including poisonous ones. Though most snakes found around homes are harmless, leave any snake alone to avoid accidents.

Tips for identifying poisonous snakes: 1) Look for an elliptical pupil (cat-like eyes) during daylight situations; and 2) Almost all have triangular or arrowhead-shaped heads.

"And, watch where you are stepping and don't put your hands in places where you aren't sure what's there, like under logs or rocks."

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