Tech Randy Darrah removes a banded water snake from the Slug-A-Bug warehouse.
Snakes tend to have bad reputations. As a result, they routinely get an unfair rap.
Many people are afraid — no, terrified — of these creatures. A recent Chapman University Survey of American Fears showed that more than 24 percent of the U.S. population is “afraid or very afraid” of snakes and other reptiles. The fear appears so inborn in humans and other primates that some studies suggest it’s actually built into our neurobiology.
That’s bad for the snakes. Many meet their deaths because of such fears, cut in half by shovels or bludgeoned by other garden implements.
There’s a better way of dealing with these crawling reptiles. But before listing the particulars, it’s important to note that most snakes are in the nonvenomous category. The percentage of snake species dangerous to humans is only about 15 percent worldwide. In the United States, where only about 20 venomous species exist, that percentage is smaller. That little snake that so spooks a gardener is usually as harmless as anything can be.
And there’s a reason to esteem them in a positive light: They are useful to humans. Larger snakes are effective predators of rodents, eating rats and mice around a person’s property. By consuming these rodents, snakes eradicate the onboard ticks that carry Lyme disease. Snakes also help control the grasshopper population, which is a great service to us.
They consume many other pests as well. Garter snakes, for example, have an appetite for those slimy slugs that inhabit gardens and cause widespread damage to plants. Many insect pests are food for snakes. Small, nonvenomous snakes in your yard should, therefore, be a welcome sight.
So, how do I know if a snake is venomous? If you can see that a snake’s eyes have elliptical pupils, that’s a sign you should leave it alone (although getting that close may not be a good idea). In the United States, all venomous snakes with the exception of the coral snake have fat bodies. Most all of the rattlesnakes, copperheads, cottonmouths and others have an ample diameter compared to their nonvenomous cousins. Chances are good that the pencil-thin snake slithering through your flower bed is innocuous. Still, don’t pick it up — let it proceed on its way.
Another important point: Some of the crawling reptiles you spy in Florida aren’t snakes at all. The glass lizard is a species of legless lizards. Like their snake counterparts, these creatures are beneficial because they go after beetles, grasshoppers and other insects.
There are several ways to distinguish a legless lizard from a snake. The former has ear openings, moveable eyelids and can detach its tail when attacked. It also moves differently: Instead of the smooth “slither” of a snake, the glass lizard has a “squirmy” side-to-side motion.
Whether snakes or legless lizards, these creatures all deserve our appreciation. By recognizing their beneficial qualities, we can begin to show them the respect they are due.