Many of us who have moved to our town have specifically moved here because we want to be in the midst of wildlife to observe it's amazing beauty. Part of what makes this beauty exist is the cycle of life and balance of the ecology. Snakes are an extremely important part of this cycle and without them there would be imbalance - they are beneficial environmentalists! Snakes help us. Among other things, they are instrumental in maintaining the rabbit, mouse, rat, termite and spider population..... and even other snakes.
We have about a dozen non-venemous snakes in our area and only two venemous. Our non-venemous include the Bull snake, the Long Nose, the Patch Nose, the Night snake, the Glossy snake, the King snake and the Coach Whip. Our venemous snakes are the Western Diamondback rattle snake and the Prairie rattler.
The smallest snake (in length) in our area would be the Texas Blindsnake - it has eyes, is non-venomous, about 4" long, and looks "pearly' like an earthworm. These little guys are your best friends in taking care of termites. The largest snake in the area is the interesting coach whip snake - adults can be pinkish in color (the young are browner), they are non-venemous and often travel at night (which is why you often find them dead on the road). They can reach about 6.5 feet. The second largest snake (about 6 feet in length) in our area, also non-venemous is the common Bull snake. I've heard many residents over the years making friends with their local bull snakes - they make their rounds and take care of any mice in the wood piles or sheds around the house. The widest snake in our area (in girth) would be the Western Diamondback rattler - they are widest when they've swallowed an entire cottontail rabbit. Diamondbacks can live 20+ years and contrary to what many have heard, the size of the rattle is not the age of the snake - they simply grow another notch every time they shed ... and they can shed several times per year. How do you tell the difference between a harmless non-venemous bullsnake vs a rattler? Well, the bullsnake does a very realistic imitation of a rattler - coils into an 's' shape, tries to change it's head to look like the rattler's 'triangle' shaped head, and it even tries to hit it's tail on something to sound like a rattle. But according to Wikipedia, the one difference you can look for is that the rattler will put it's tail up in the air to rattle whereas the bullsnake will lay it's tail flat on the ground or hit it on the ground.
So let's talk now about how we can co-exist with our snake population. First, snakes are not slimy and are not aggressive (not even the rattle snakes). Snakes would like to avoid us as all costs - they just want to get on with their day like we all do. They're not out to 'get you', they don't want to chase you, and they don't want to hide and scare you. All the snakes in our area know that humans are too big to eat so there's no need to hunt them. They have a "pit viper" on their head which is a heat sensor - it helps them distinguish whether you're a small rabbit for dinner or a big human to stay away from.
The goal would be to avoid snakes and let them live peacefully in their natural habitat. The Tribe has expressed their wish to Mark that we in the town NOT harm any snakes. If you see a snake in your yard, simply do the following: while watching the snake, move out of the immediate area quickly and get inside the house. Do not torment or poke the snake. Move out of the snake's immediate area quickly. If your pet has encountered a snake, gather your pet in the same manner. If your pet is getting close to tangling with the snake, the better method is not to hit the snake with something, but if necessary (in a life-threatening situation) hit the pet with something to control the pet and prevent it from attacking the snake. Remember, the snake will try to protect itself and go into 'survival mode' and if your pet tries to attack the snake it could potentially be a life and death situation for your pet (we'll talk more about this in Snake Season Part 2). Some dogs have a natural instinct to stay away from snakes and may even be spooked by twigs or small branches - this is a good thing. Some dogs walk right over a snake and don't even know it. Once you and your pet are in the house you can do two things:
- 1st do call Mark Watson (he's in our phone book under "Watson" and he's also listed in the front pages of the book under "Services -> Snake Relocation". Go get this number now and put it on your frig or by the phone. He will come and relocate the snake for you. He does this for free.
- If he's not home, don't panick and don't ask someone to kill the snake. Mark assures us that snakes WILL leave that night. They travel and make rounds in their large territories and after cleaning up your yard of mice will leave - they have no intention of hanging around. They will leave that night and again, the Tribe does not want us harming snakes. So no need to panick - Mark can come and help or it will leave by itself. Aren't we fortunate to have Mark?! Thank him the next ime you see him in town.
- One thing to mention - when you call Mark, try to keep on eye on where the snake is until Mark arrives - this will greatly help Mark in being able to find, capture and permanently relocate the snake.
Would you like to make your habitat less inviting for snakes? Here are some things seen around town that actually do invite snakes:
- Backyard ponds -they love water and need to drink - water in the desert will attract all sorts of wildlife. So if you're trying to avoid snakes - no ponds.
- Bird seed on the ground under the bird feeders. We all like to feed the birds, but remember the cycle of life and the ecological balance: the food drops to the ground from the birds and the mice and rabbits eat it from the ground. The snakes sense the mice and rabbits and come into your outside habitat to eat them. They just want to eat and go, but if you're offering them dessert, they'll make sure to come back for seconds!
- Wood piles - there are many in town who have their wood piles right next to their house - this is asking for trouble. Mice will make their homes in the woodpiles and the snakes will sense this. Again, they'll eat and go ... but if you don't change your wood pile habits, they'll come back to dine again. Wood piles should be away from the house and up off the ground about 1 foot.
- Garage doors - a common site in town during the summer months are garage doors partly open to let the heat escape. Don't be surprised if a mouse wonders in followed by a snake. Please remember not to panick (don't harm it), just go back inside and call Mark. You can also just let it be, keep an eye on where it is and it will go out and be on it's way in a couple of hours.
- Bird ponds - yes we want to hydrate the birds, but just be aware that any water in the desert is a magnet for wildlife and insects. These insects and rodents too become buffet for snakes. And therefore you're likely to see a snake or two.
You can certainly continue to feed and water the birds and have your koy ponds, but just be aware that part of the beautiful nature scenery will be the occassional snake enjoying 'take-out' in your yard. You now know not to panic - just call Mark and/or let it be and it will move on.
Snakes are out at all times in our environment - it's not just the summer months. In the winter they may come out of their dens on a warm day, but they will not venture anywhere to forage. They do begin to travel more around April/May as the weather warms up and you'll usually see them into September/October until the weather is steadily colder. When hiking, try to avoid reaching overhead and grabbing onto a rock - they may be basking in the sun and not take kindly to you landing on them. Avoid stepping over a fallen tree without fully seeing what's on the other side - they are often nestled right under that log and again, will not take kindly to you stepping on them. In general avoid tall grass and rocks. Here in Cochiti Lake you can find snakes sleeping on driveways or the street curbs as the sun goes down because the concrete retains heat and they really like storing up that heat for their nightly travels. Another positive is that there tend to be fewer snakes at elevations higher than 7500'.
We live here because we want to be close to nature. In kind we need to respect nature and let it be in all it's divirsity. If you would like to familiarize yourself with snakes in our area, Mark recommends a fantastic book in our library (one of the co-authors is a colleague of Mark's): "Amphibians and Reptiles of New Mexico" by William G. Degenhardt, Charles W. Painter and Andrew H. Price. UNM Press 1996. If you would like to have some 'hands on' learning about snakes and visit with "Teddy" a captive bull snake please email us at CLIPETS@live.com or call Krys/Ray so that we can get a group together to visit Teddy. Mark and Deanna are always happy to answer all of our questions and teach us some great things about snakes.
Next in the Snake Season series: What Happens if You or Your Pet is Bitten?
Next in the Cochiti Lake Wildlife series with Mark: The Many Species of Birds in our Area
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