FLORENCE, Ala. – When the temperature rises in August so, too, does snake activity.
Keith Hudson, a Florence resident who is wildlife biologist for the Alabama Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries, said snakes respond to warm weather by increasing their movements.
“They are cold blooded creatures. The warmer it is, the more active they are.”
Snake hunter and legendary musician Travis Wammack said he has captured numerous water moccasins, rattlesnakes and copperheads in recent days.
“The snakes are really starting to move. August and September are always my busiest time for snake hunting,” Wammack said. “It”s starting to get dry down where I live and the snakes are moving around looking for water.”
Wammack, who lives in southern Colbert County, releases most of the venomous snakes he captures, though he occasionally eats rattlesnakes.
Wammack”s ability to catch snakes is well known. Many of his friends and neighbors call him for help when they spy a venomous snake on their property. Wammack will collect and relocate the unwanted snakes. When he performs, his back-up musicians are called the Snake Man Band.
While many people believe the only good snake is a dead one, Hudson said the Department of Conservation prefers relocation of unwanted snakes, including the venomous ones, rather than killing the reptiles.
“We do not encourage anyone to kill snakes. They are very beneficial,” Hudson said. “A rat snake is named that for a reason: It eat rats. Having a king snake around your house is a good way to keep venomous snakes away. King snakes eat poisonous snakes.
“Of course, if you live in an urban area and have children or pets, you don”t want a venomous snake living close by. But instead of killing it, they can call me and I can put them in touch with a professional wildlife removal expert who can assist them.
“People who live in rural areas or even town and country settings need to learn to coexist with all the snakes. The snakes have got to have a place to live, too,” Hudson said.
Keith Gauldin, a wildlife biologist for the Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries based in Spanish Fort, said snakes are misunderstood.
“Most people see them as evil creatures for some reason, but they are not,” Gauldin said. “Snakes are an important part of the environment.”
Hudson said the first reaction of many people is to kill a snake.
“There is a deep ingrained fear of snakes,” he said. “Many people are absolutely terrified of them. The danger of snakes is really overblown. Poisonous snake bites are rare. Fatalities from snake bites are few and far between. The vast majority of snakes are non-venomous. I see snakes all the time, but I rarely see a poisonous snake.”
Of the more than 40 species of snakes found in Alabama, six are venomous. Four species of venomous snakes are found in northwest Alabama: the copperhead, timber rattlesnake, pygmy rattlesnake and water moccasin, which is often called a cottonmouth. All venomous snakes found in the Shoals have large, triangular-shaped heads, and vertically oriented, elliptical-shaped pupils.
“The poisonous snakes are out there, but you usually have to be looking for them to find one,” Hudson said.
Anyone who encounters a venomous snake should leave it alone, Hudson warned.
“Most people who are bitten by a snake were bit when they were trying to catch or fool with the snake,” he said. “Alcohol is often involved in venomous snake bites.”
Hudson said a snake also will bite when stepped on or accidently touched.
“Anytime you are walking where you think there may be snakes, watch where you put your feet,” he said. “If you are working in a garden or anywhere there are tall weeds or grass, watch where you put your hands. If you are rock climbing, watch where you are putting your hands to make sure you are not putting them on a snake.”
He said people walking at dusk need to beware because snakes are active around sundown.
Hudson said copperheads frequently are found in Bankhead National Forest. Copperheads also can be found in any wooded area and around homes, barns and other buildings.
Wammack said rattlesnakes are common in the rugged terrain of southern Colbert and western Lauderdale counties. Water moccasins are most commonly found around streams, creeks, lakes and swamps where there is little activity, but he said he has captured the snakes far from any water.
If a bite occurs, recommendations are to seek medical attention as quickly as possible and avoid cutting, tourniquet application or sucking the venom from the bite, Gauldin said. A cell phone can be a tremendous asset in alerting medical personnel of the incoming bite victim if such an unfortunate incident should occur, he added.
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