Pet Shop Haven

There are more than 2,700 snakes varieties spread all over the world in temperate and warm climates; the only part of the globe where snakes cannot live is Antarctica. Snakes vary in size from a few centimeters to more than nine meters in the case of the anacondas or the pythons. Poisonous snakes are far less numerous in this huge reptile family, but venom they inject in prey is so powerful that it could cause the death of a human being within a few minutes. Chronological research indicates that, the history and origins of snakes go back to the Cretaceous period, some 150 million years ago, when it appears that snakes evolved from a lizard and adapted to a different living habitat.

Primitive distinctive marks of this ancestry are still present with some snakes, this is the case with pythons and boas that still have vestiges of hind limbs, which only point to a past when snakes resembled lizards a lot more. Snakes or serpents are present in all cultures, carrying symbolic meanings and being widely illustrated in the arts. Mankind hunted down or worshiped snakes throughout its history; yet, modern attitudes are partly different towards snakes particularly under the emphasis of the ecological movements that insist on the importance of these creatures for the environment of the planet. And they couldn't be more right.

There are many aspects in the life of snakes that fascinate scientists and indicate that not everything has been discovered about the many existing species. Thus, it is interesting to study how the patterns on the body of snakes differentiate between individuals even within the same species. Then, snakes' response to vibrations, the superior sense of smell and even the perception of low frequency sounds indicate the fact that snakes are fascinating. The same amount of scientific respect is due in terms of anatomical programing by the presence of the infrared sensitive receptors that allow pit vipers for instance to detect the warmth of the prey's body.

Snakes share their habitat with us, and people from areas with a higher variety of snake groups and sub-groups should learn to distinguish between the hazardous or harmless varieties, and thus avoid them accordingly. Non-venomous snakes could also bite and injure one seriously when threatened, therefore, a avoidance and respect of the snakes' habitat remain the most effective prevention means. Do not try to kill, catch or hunt snakes: they will never come after you for the sake of just biting. Be extremely cautious when keeping snakes as pets.

The South of the United States is the home of many kinds of snakes and lizards that pose very little threat to human health. The majority of Texas snakes are nonvenomous or very little poisonous for their hunt, but in case of a human injury there would basically be no problems. Two exceptions need specification: the groups and subgroups known as coral snakes and pit vipers. In recent years there have been less snake bites not only in Texas but everywhere in the United States because of a higher awareness of the fact that snakes are sharing their habitat with us. Thus, people should understand that a snake will only bite when it feels threatened and the resulting envenomation is the result of a pure defensive act.

Texas Snakes

Pit vipers are the most numerous poisonous Texas snakes: they include sub-groups like the rattlesnakes, copperheads and cottonmouths. Each group has individual traits that render the specimens easy to identify and thus to avoid. One will recognize Texas snakes like the copperheads by the red-brown cross lines in their body patterns, while cottonmouths will stand out by the shades of green, solid black and olive. When threatened cottonmouths will open their mouths and hiss in a menacing way. The white tissue inside of their mouths is the features that gave the name of cottonmouth to the species.

Texas Snakes

Finally, the rattlesnake makes the most noise from all Texas snakes; as the name points out, this snake rattles its tail telling aggressors to keep the distance. If you don't come too near or accidentally step on them, rattlesnakes will never get closer to you in order to attack. The only pit viper that shows no warning message is the copperhead that attacks whenever it senses danger. Hence from all the Texas snakes, the copperhead gets its reputation as the trickiest and most unpredictable. Then, we should mention coral snakes as one other group living in the arid parts of the American south.

Texas Snakes

Corals are related with the Asian and African cobra, and though the majority of venomous snakes have elliptical pupils, corals distinguish themselves by their roundness. These Texas snakes are slender usually less than two feet long with  a pattern consisting of black, yellow and red rings alternated. Even if there are other harmless Texas snakes with similar coloring, red is almost never present. In case one chooses South Texas woodlands as a travel destination, one should keep in mind that snake encounters are possible in canyons as well as on plains.