Creature Feature #1: Snakes of Virginia

Welcome back everyone! This post is the first in a series I'm calling "Creature Features," a series I will be contributing to from time to time that focuses on a different species or group of animals you can find in the wild. 

With Summer now in full swing, many of you may have been noticing more snakes around recently. I know my social media is flooded with snake identification questions and people wondering why they have been seeing so many lately, so I wanted to take the time to talk about one of my favorite subjects: snakes!

Growing up I always had a fascination with snakes, but it wasn't until college that I really began learning more about them and seeking them out on my herping trips. Now every time I hike, I'm always checking for snakes around trees and sunny spots. I could talk for days about how snakes are misrepresented in media and culture and how they don't deserve their bad rap. However, I understand some people genuinely have a fear of snakes, and I'm not trying to change their life with this post. My goal here is to highlight some really cool snakes in and around Virginia, how to differentiate between them, and about a trillion reasons why you should appreciate them, even if you don't like them. 

Snake identification questions are probably my favorite. The biodiversity of snakes in Virginia is rather exciting with 34 species, only 3 of which are venomous. However, there are a few harmless species that are easily mistaken for their venomous counterparts. Like all reptiles, snakes are ectotherms, meaning they regulate their body temperature by using the environment around them. They sun themselves in warm spots during the day (typically in the morning) to raise their body temperature for the day, giving them the energy to move around, forage, mate, and anything else snakes like to do in their free time. If their body temperature gets too high, they move to shady spots to cool down. The best place to find snakes is hiding around fallen trees or places with lots of branches and brush; these places provide lots of different surfaces to hide and cool down, as well as many different areas to catch the sun at different times of day as the sun moves overhead. Virginia has several species of snake that also spend a lot of time in and around the water. I'll talk a bit more about these species later on. 

The reason you have been seeing so many snakes around lately is simply the time of year. Summer is prime snake season due to the timing of their breeding season and their external thermoregulation. Snakes typically breed in early spring, right after emerging from their brumation period during the harsh winter months. Brumation is similar to hibernation, but differs in that snakes do not actually sleep for the entirety of the winter. Rather, they are less active and lower their body temperature to conserve energy. Cold temperatures can directly kill snakes by lowering their internal temperatures beyond what is sustainable for life. However, cold can also indirectly lead to death by inducing severe sluggishness that can affect a snake's escape from predation and ability to catch prey. Snakes typically breed pretty soon after their brumation period, which means they are mating in early spring. This ensures that the offspring will emerge around summertime. So, if you happen to see a lot of snakes in your yard around this time of year, don't panic! It is completely expected and they are doing you a service by providing extremely important pest control for you and your neighbors, so thank a snake today (from a respectful distance)!

That brings us to the most exciting part of this post: how to figure out what kind of snake you found! I'll mostly be focusing on species in Virginia because I am most familiar with this state and its residents. However, I've spent a good amount of time in the southwest and midwest, so I might be name dropping some honorable mentions that you can only find west of the Mississippi. 

Perhaps the most common (and useful!) snake you'll find in Virginia is the Eastern Ratsnake (Pantherophis alleghaniensis), also known as a black ratsnake. If you see a large black snake, it is most likely a black ratsnake. This species is the largest in Virginia with the average length of an adult around 4 to 6 feet. My favorite thing about black ratsnakes is that you often find them in compromising positions, because they are quite the climbers. Ratsnakes like to feed on birds, bird eggs, and rodents; thus, they tend to spend a lot of time in trees, gutters, and other high places to reach their favorite food source. They can travel considerable distances in a single day, meaning it is likely you will see them on the move. These snakes are completely harmless and are often killed on roads. While their size may be intimidating, this species is incredibly important to maintaining a balanced ecosystem, especially in your developed backyard. If you leave them alone, you might even notice fewer mice around. A quick way to identify a black ratsnake is by its size and its dark back and light colored belly, but pay close attention to the head shape compared to that of a venomous snake (more on that a bit later). Also, I want to note that there are multiple species of ratsnake that are not just black, so there is a ton of variation in this group. However, the black ratsnake is probably the most common.

Pantherophis alleghaniensis, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
By Shenandoah National Park from Virginia - Black Rat Snake, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=45093143

Water snakes are another extremely common snake found in Virginia. Water snakes belong to the genus Nerodia, but you're most likely to see Nerodia sipedon (common water snake) and Nerodia erythrogaster (plain-bellied water snake). This genus is VERY commonly mistaken for the venomous species found in Virginia, particularly due to the similarities in dorsal pattern. However, there are some tell tale ways you can distinguish between Nerodia and venomous species. As their name suggests, water snakes are most commonly found in and around water including streams, rivers, lakes, ponds, man-made structures, and more. They are great swimmers and it is pretty impressive to see them gliding through the water. They can also stay underwater for several minutes before coming back up for air. Their back is usually black, brown, gray, or a combination with brown spots or bands running the length of their body. They have a light colored belly, typically with large spots on each belly scale. As you can see in the photos below, their head is only slightly wider than their body with a rounded jaw, a key distinction from venomous snakes. Water snakes are extremely important in aquatic ecosystems; they prey on fish, amphibians, crawfish, insects, mice, snakes, turtles, birds, and more. They are essential secondary consumers in aquatic food webs and help control population size of many animals at energy levels above and below them.

Nerodia sipedon in water, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
By Sean Gagnon - Own work, CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=853805

The last nonvenomous species I want to briefly discuss are garter snakes! Garters are a favorite of mine because of their beautiful diversity of dorsal patterning and they can be found pretty commonly throughout Virginia. Garter snakes belong to the genus Thamnophis, and there are two species currently known in Virginia: Thamnophis sirtalis (eastern garter snake) and Thamnophis saurita (common ribbonsnake). These snakes are relatively moderate in size, reaching about two feet long on average. They are slender and glide through tall grasses beautifully. I love the amazing checkered pattern on most species. Fun fact alert: the eastern garter snake is the official state snake of Virginia!

Black necked garter snake, Thamnophis cyrtopsis, found in Arizona, USA.
Photo property of Cynthia Morris.

Okay, now for the moment you've all been waiting for, but the moment that I made you read all the way to the end for: venomous snakes! While there are only 3 venomous species in Virginia, many people are very concerned about their presence. While that is probably the smartest way to avoid injury, educating yourself on venomous snakes in your area is the best way to be prepared for how to deal with them if and when you do come across one. Venomous snakes are just as important to their ecosystems as nonvenomous snakes are, so for God's sake, please do not kill any snakes you find. If you are concerned that the species is venomous and may harm you, your family, or your pets, that means you are too close to it. Leave it alone and it will find it's way back home shortly. Another option is to call a local wildlife rehab center, nature center, or animal control to safely remove the snake for you. However, the snake is just there doing its job: eating other things you don't want in your yard and contributing to the overall biodiversity of your neighborhood.

Okay, off my soapbox (for now). Below is a handy photo that shows you the major difference between the head of nonvenomous (on the left) and venomous (on the right) snakes. Venomous snakes typically have what is called a pit above their mouth (ever heard the term pit viper?). They also have a vertically oriented pupil. These are easy ways to distinguish between venomous and nonvenomous snakes, but if you suspect a snake is venomous, I do not recommend getting close enough to make these distinctions.

Photo courtesy of Virginia Herpetological Society
https://www.virginiaherpetologicalsociety.com/identification-keys/id-keys-snakes/virginia_snake_identification.htm

An easier and more reliable way of identifying a venomous snake from a distance is familiarizing yourself with the basic appearance of the three venomous species in Virginia.

The easiest venomous snake of Virginia to identify is the Timber rattlesnake, Crotalus horridus. In Virginia, there are two distinct populations of timbers: one occupies the forested mountains of the western part of the state and the other (which is also called the Canebrake rattlesnake) inhabits the southeastern corner of the state. They are the same species, just vary slightly in their appearance. However, I say this species is the easiest to identify as a result of the rattle on the end of their tail, so I won't spend a lot of time on this one.

Timber Rattlesnake, Crotalus horridus. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
By Ltshears - Trisha M Shears - Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1688608

The other two species of venomous snakes in Virginia, the Eastern Copperhead (Agkistrodon contortix) and the Northern Cottonmouth (Agkistrodon piscivorous), are not difficult to identify if you know how they differ. Both species are aquatic, but also found in terrestrial environments. They both have the distinctive triangle-shaped head of venomous snakes and the pit next to their nostril. So, how are they different?

The Eastern Copperhead is found all over Virginia and is known for its distinct copper color. However, the color can vary just as much as some of the other snakes found in Virginia, so relying on the copper color isn't always the best way to go. The easiest way to pick a copperhead out of a crowd is the splotches along the body. Copperheads have a very distinct hourglass-shaped banding pattern all down the body. The splotches are very wide along the outer edges and substantially thinner towards the center. While cottonmouths have a similar description of the banding, the copperheads widening of the bands towards the edge is much more pronounced and obvious, whereas the cottonmouth resembles a more uniform band.

Eastern Copperhead, Agkistrodon contortix. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
By Wilafa - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=83670081

The Cottonmouth, also known as the water moccasin, is restricted in range to the southeastern corner of Virginia. This species is notably wider in circumference than the others and reaches about 2 to 4 feet in length. Their color can range anywhere from a yellowish olive color to black. However, their most distinctive feature is the black crossbands running down the body. These bands are typically dumbbell-shaped, meaning they are wider on the outer edges of the body and thinner towards the center of the body. Because their coloration can vary so much, the banding on the body is the easiest way to distinguish cottonmouths from copperheads.

North Cottonmouth, Agkistrodon piscivorous, illustrating the distinctive banding across the body. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
By Chinmay7 - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7914519

In my travels I have been lucky enough to come across all the species I mentioned above in the wild. If I listed every species I've seen, this post would be waaaayyy too long and no one would read it. In a future post I will share some photos from my travels and talk more about some of the other species I have found along the way. For now, I hope that helped even a single person figure out what snake they are looking at. A great way to reliably ID a snake is a dichotomous key, such as the one found on the Virginia Herpetological Society website. The key gives you a question with 2 different options and you choose the option that most closely resembles the snake you are looking at. Some of the features are difficult to determine from afar, but dichotomous keys can be a great resource to identify a snake while simultaneously learning more about snake anatomy.

Annoying teacher moment: always remember, kids, that it is never a good idea to pick up a snake in the wild, even if you're 99% certain you have correctly identified it. Even if it isn't venomous, you will most likely cause the snake a lot of stress, which may result in a bite or (much worse) a good musking (look it up, it's gross). The most important thing to remember is that snakes are never seeking you out. No matter what people tell you, a snake will never chase you. A snake's first response is always going to be to flee, and they will only bite if they feel they have no other option (such as an escape route). 

There are a ton of awesome resources available if you're interested in learning more about snakes. I highly recommend the Virginia Herpetological Society website (virginiaherpetologicalsociety.com) for a one stop shop for various info about species, identification, and more. Also be sure to check out the Facebook page of your local museums or wildlife preserves. The Virginia Living Museum (thevlm.org) is a great local nature center located in Newport News, Virginia. They have an amazing herpetology staff that are extremely knowledgeable and their Facebook page regularly does live videos and photos with information on native Virginia species of all kinds. Other great resources include the Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles (SSAR-- ssarherps.org) and the Wildlife Center of Virginia (wildlifecenter.org). 

Okay, that was a ton of information, so if you read this far THANK YOU! Snakes are one of my favorite groups of organisms, so I could talk forever. If you have any other tips for snake identification, leave a comment on this post. Also, if you have a topic you're interested in for my next post or want to guest author a post of your own, leave a comment or send me a message!

Me and a Great Plains Rat Snake, Pantherophis emoryi.
Photo property of Julie Taylor.