What Animal Is Good For Catching And Killing Copperhead

Why You Should Permit A Copperhead Live In Your Yard: Debunking Snake Myths

Published July eighteen, 2018 at i:06 PM EDT

With warmer weather and more outdoor activities comes the increase in serpent sightings in North Carolina. There are nearly 40 species of snakes in the state with one of the most common being the copperhead. Despite the fact that in that location are copperheads in every county in N Carolina, there are all the same a lot of misconceptions and myths well-nigh them says herpetologist Jeff Beane.

Beane says copperheads aren't aggressive snakes, they aren't out to bite humans and if a homeowner kills or relocates a copperhead from the backyard, some other ophidian will accept its place.

Guest host Anita Rao talks to Beane about these myths and why they persist. He also talks about what researchers are doing to learn more near snakes. Beane is the collections managing director for herpetology at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences.

Interview Highlights:

Jeff Beane on why yous shouldn't say "poisonous snakes":
Venoms are poisons in the broadest sense of the term, just a lot of herpetologists have a real pet peeve when someone says a snake is poisonous. Commonly venom has to exist injected, introduced into the body to crusade harm, whereas a poison has to exist ingested. So if it bites you and you become sick, its venomous, if you seize with teeth information technology and yous become ill its poisonous.

What volition likely happen if you encounter a ophidian:
Ordinarily most snakes, if you lot run across them and they're coiled up somewhere where they desire to be, they'll remain completely still and hope that you don't run into them or bother them, if they even know yous're there at all. If yous do disturb them, the first affair they'll probably exercise is effort to get away. If they don't have an outlet to get away, or you go right up in their face or endeavor to pick them up and footstep on them, they might bite to defend themselves, depending on the species and the individual. Some snakes don't bite no matter what you practice to them. And some individuals inside a species take more than of a tendency to bite than others. Just like people, they'll have a shorter fuse than others.

An eastern gartern snake — An eastern garter ophidian, which is common in the Triangle area of Due north Carolina.

Why you shouldn't remove a snake from your backyard:
They're part of the globe, they have dwelling ranges, and almost snakes know exactly where they are. If yous move them they're going to be lost just like if you moved you or me out to California or somewhere, the first thing we'd do is try to get back dwelling. Snakes are going to endeavor to do that too. They're going to try to become back to something that's familiar … If you feel like you have to move a snake, usually a brusk distance translocation, something less than 200 meters, is probably what'southward recommended so that it'due south away from your forepart doorstep but information technology still knows where it is.

The biggest myth most snakes:
That snakes are aggressive, that they're out to get people, that if y'all see if a snake information technology's going to attack you lot or bite you and that all of them are dangerous. Snakes really are not dangerous at all if yous just leave them solitary. Nobody'due south always been bitten by snake while they were leaving it alone. It's always when they pace on it or option information technology upward or try to impale it or mess with information technology.

What snakes do that is good for humans:
It does happen that snakes do certain things for humans. They eat a lot of species that we don't like, like mice and rats, that can cause diseases and problems. And [past] eating a lot of rodents, snakes are swallowing a lot of ticks. And ticks crusade things like Rocky Mountain spotted fever and Lyme affliction. One study showed that snakes are significant tick destroyers in Eastern forest sites. Their venoms are also being used for a lot of different kinds of enquiry. Inquiry on various cancers and neurological diseases similar Alzheimer's and Parkinson'south. Venoms may exist someday successfully used to treat those kinds of man ailments. Venom inquiry is really just in its infancy and then we don't know what medical miracles may prevarication hidden in some of the venoms of these species.