# Is this a dangerous snake ? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 24, 2004, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-dangerous-snake/252103 "2004-06-24T23:03:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dragongirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b38774/32.png) [@dragongirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dragongirl)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2004, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-dangerous-snake/252103/1 "2004-06-24T23:03:36Z")
I’ve got a whole mess of these living in the back in the backyard. Are they dangerous ? How do I get rid of them ? Thanks. snake pictures [http://groups.msn.com/Mamabearsstuff/snake.msnw?Page=Last](http://groups.msn.com/Mamabearsstuff/snake.msnw?Page=Last) ---
**Author:** ![Whammo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8dc957/32.png) [@Whammo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whammo)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2004, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-dangerous-snake/252103/2 "2004-06-24T23:14:58Z")
Garter snake… completely harmless, only beneficial. They were probably overwintering nearby and some didnt move on. ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2004, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-dangerous-snake/252103/3 "2004-06-24T23:22:47Z")
[B}dragongirl\*\* has snakes in her garden, that seems very appropriate. Is snake 2 impersonating snake 1 ? They look cute, do you realy want to get rid of them (now you know they are safe) OTOH How do we know **Whammo** is correct? Maybe a heptologist has a cite to put any **dragongirl** fears at rest. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2004, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-dangerous-snake/252103/4 "2004-06-24T23:32:28Z")
I wouldn’t say **completely** harmless. They’re not venomous to be sure, but if provoked they have needle like teeth and can inflict a painful bite. They also can release a stinky (but harmless) musk if you handle them (I used to catch & keep them as pets in my youth). Don’t want to scare you. They are beneficial and won’t bother you if you don’t bother them. And even if you accidentally bother one it’ll just flee. ---
**Author:** ![SnakeSpirit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snakespirit/32/7271_2.png) [@SnakeSpirit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnakeSpirit)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2004, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-dangerous-snake/252103/5 "2004-06-24T23:38:52Z")
> [@dragongirl](#): > > I’ve got a whole mess of these living in the back in the backyard. > > Are they dangerous ? > > How do I get rid of them ? Common gartersnake. They eat frogs, mice, small rats, insects, earthworms and other stuff that is more bothersome than they are. They are not dangerous, but they will sometimes bite if they think they are in danger. The bite itself it more startling than harmful - you’d hardly feel it. Get rid of them?? What, and suffer more rats and mice and cockroaches? Well, OK, if you dislike snakes that much: Catch them and send them to me. I’ll give them a good home. Oops, can’t recommend you do that; it’s illegal to send snakes to Hawaii… So, notify neighborhood kids that there are free pet snakes to be had in your back yard. (Do not tell the local schools, though.) In about a month of letting kids wander through your back yard, all the snakes will be gone, with little effort on your part. If you can’t trust me, who _can_ you trust? (I’m an ameteur herpatologist) S¬ …V ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2004, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-dangerous-snake/252103/6 "2004-06-25T00:01:47Z")
A vaguely decent rule of thimb in the US is - Red to black, poison lack Red to Yellow, Kill a fellow IOW, Red stripes next to black stripes is _generally_ harmless Red stripes next to yellow tends to be the deadly sort [Western Coral Snake](http://www.bliss.army.mil/USACASPage/animals/western_coral_snake.htm) [[http://herpcenter.ipfw.edu/outreach/accounts/reptiles/snakes/N\_Scarlet\_Snake/&2](http://herpcenter.ipfw.edu/outreach/accounts/reptiles/snakes/N_Scarlet_Snake/&2)]Scarlet]([http://herpcenter.ipfw.edu/index.htm?[url](http://herpcenter.ipfw.edu/index.htm?%5Burl)) Snake ---
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2004, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-dangerous-snake/252103/7 "2004-06-25T00:06:38Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > A vaguely decent rule of thimb in the US is - > > Red to black, poison lack > Red to Yellow, Kill a fellow > > IOW, Red stripes next to black stripes is _generally_ harmless > Red stripes next to yellow tends to be the deadly sort > [Western Coral Snake](http://www.bliss.army.mil/USACASPage/animals/western_coral_snake.htm) [[http://herpcenter.ipfw.edu/outreach/accounts/reptiles/snakes/N\_Scarlet\_Snake/&2](http://herpcenter.ipfw.edu/outreach/accounts/reptiles/snakes/N_Scarlet_Snake/&2)]Scarlet]([http://herpcenter.ipfw.edu/index.htm?[url](http://herpcenter.ipfw.edu/index.htm?%5Burl)) Snake Uhhh…you do know garter snakes don’t have stripes…right? ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2004, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-dangerous-snake/252103/8 "2004-06-25T00:22:52Z")
This is a classic example of the dreaded radioactive jumping corkscrew snake. Able to jump up to 20 feet and literally corkscrew themselves into your eyes to munch on your brain… OK, sorry, they look like common garter snakes like everyone else said. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2004, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-dangerous-snake/252103/9 "2004-06-25T00:28:30Z")
Damn…I wish I had garter snakes in my backyard! That’s too cool! ---
**Author:** ![Ilsa\_Lund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a6a055/32.png) [@Ilsa\_Lund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ilsa_Lund)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2004, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-dangerous-snake/252103/10 "2004-06-25T00:39:03Z")
> [@](#): > > OTOH How do we know Whammo is correct? Maybe a heptologist has a cite to put any dragongirl fears at rest. Ok. [Common Garter Snake _(Thamnophis sirtalis)_](http://www.cnah.org/detail.asp?id=393) It may, however be _T. butleri_ (Butler’s Garter Snake) or _T. marcianus_ (Checkered Garter Snake), depending on your location, but the Eastern Garter is the most widespread. There are about twenty Garter/Ribbon snake species in the U.S., it seems to resemble one of those three. Let me know where you live. They aren’t venomous, or really dangerous. As **Snakespirit** said, they eat little critters. You’d be better off with the snakes than the critters. > [@](#): > > If you can’t trust me, who can you trust? (I’m an ameteur herpatologist) Me, a professional herpetologist. 😉 > [@](#): > > Uhhh…you do know garter snakes don’t have stripes…right? The hell they don’t! You are both speaking of _bands_. Stripes are longitudinal, bands encircle the animal. A better rhyme is “If you have to think of a rhyme, stay away from the snake.” The chances of seeing a red-on-yellow coral snake are incredibly low, however. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2004, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-dangerous-snake/252103/11 "2004-06-25T02:06:51Z")
> [@Reeder](#): > > Uhhh…you do know garter snakes don’t have stripes…right? And you noted I said “a vaguely decent rule of thumb in the US is…”? If someone sees a random snake, there is a generic sort of rhyme [which oddly enough I learned in Florida…as a fairly young kid who did have a coral snake in a jar…from the herpetologist that my grandfather knew who came for dinner and I was _so_ proud of my new snake I just _had_ to show it to him…] that can be used to see if you should possibly pick up a snake or not…not that the snake in question was or wasnt a garter snake. My post came well after it was identified as a garter snake… Someone reading the snake thread, or possibly looking it up in the future _if_ they find a random snake and are wondering if they should pick it up, they \*might \* read the little rhyme and decide not to play with that pretty snake… ---
**Author:** ![SnakeSpirit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snakespirit/32/7271_2.png) [@SnakeSpirit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnakeSpirit)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2004, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-dangerous-snake/252103/12 "2004-06-25T02:13:31Z")
> [@Ilsa\_Lund](#): > > Me, a professional herpetologist. 😉 Wish I had learned earlier that one could play with snakes and make a living at the same time!\* But since we are generalizing re: dangerous snakes in CONUS, the dangerous (poisonous) snakes in the continental USA are: Cottonmouth Water Moccasin: Dark, thick body, sorta triangular head. Copperhead: Reddish, mottled, average body, sorta triangular head. Rattler, various: Thick body, sorta triangular head, often they even rattle! Coral Snake: Bright red, black and yellow bands, narrow body and head. To stay safe, stay away from snakes with **triangular, or arrowhead-shaped heads** , particularly in a rusty-brown, black or mottled patterns and particularly with thicker bodies, and avoid **bright-colored banded snakes**. This may also cause you to avoid water snakes (usually aggressive anyway), corn snakes (great rat eliminators) or scarlet snakes or scarlet king snakes (rare snakes that should be preserved). Wedge-heads or red bands… easy enough? - Instead I became a cultural anthropologist, so I still can’t make a living! ---
**Author:** ![Ashkicker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4bbf92/32.png) [@Ashkicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashkicker)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2004, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-dangerous-snake/252103/13 "2004-06-25T02:14:45Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > A vaguely decent rule of thimb in the US is - > > Red to black, poison lack > Red to Yellow, Kill a fellow Another way is… Red on black, your OK Jack Red on yellow, can kill a fellow BTW, I hate snakes. Don’t matter if it’s black, yellow or green. No discrimation here. ---
**Author:** ![Ilsa\_Lund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a6a055/32.png) [@Ilsa\_Lund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ilsa_Lund)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2004, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-dangerous-snake/252103/14 "2004-06-25T02:18:54Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > And you noted I said “a vaguely decent rule of thumb in the US is…”? > > If someone sees a random snake, there is a generic sort of rhyme [which oddly enough I learned in Florida…as a fairly young kid who did have a coral snake in a jar…from the herpetologist that my grandfather knew who came for dinner and I was _so_ proud of my new snake I just _had_ to show it to him…] that can be used to see if you should possibly pick up a snake or not…not that the snake in question was or wasnt a garter snake. My post came well after it was identified as a garter snake… > > Someone reading the snake thread, or possibly looking it up in the future _if_ they find a random snake and are wondering if they should pick it up, they \*might \* read the little rhyme and decide not to play with that pretty snake… A) Garter snakes _have stripes._ B) That rule only applies in the extreme southeast and southwest. C)The best rule to remember is: If you have to remember a rhyme, leave the snake alone. ---
**Author:** ![Ilsa\_Lund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a6a055/32.png) [@Ilsa\_Lund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ilsa_Lund)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2004, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-dangerous-snake/252103/15 "2004-06-25T02:20:12Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > And you noted I said “a vaguely decent rule of thumb in the US is…”? > > If someone sees a random snake, there is a generic sort of rhyme [which oddly enough I learned in Florida…as a fairly young kid who did have a coral snake in a jar…from the herpetologist that my grandfather knew who came for dinner and I was _so_ proud of my new snake I just _had_ to show it to him…] that can be used to see if you should possibly pick up a snake or not…not that the snake in question was or wasnt a garter snake. My post came well after it was identified as a garter snake… > > Someone reading the snake thread, or possibly looking it up in the future _if_ they find a random snake and are wondering if they should pick it up, they \*might \* read the little rhyme and decide not to play with that pretty snake… A) Garter snakes _have stripes._ B) That rule only applies in the extreme southeast and southwest. C)The best rule to remember is: If you have to remember a rhyme, leave the snake alone. (I’m actually still a grad student, but I am published in herp journals. Who said anything about making a living? I must have missed the memo where we got _paid_ for this! :D) ---
**Author:** ![Ashkicker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4bbf92/32.png) [@Ashkicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashkicker)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2004, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-dangerous-snake/252103/16 "2004-06-25T02:27:25Z")
> [@Ilsa\_Lund](#): > > If you have to remember a rhyme, leave the snake alone. [Trust me, I do](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=256691). 😉 ---
**Author:** ![I\_Know\_Nothing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f04885/32.png) [@I\_Know\_Nothing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Know_Nothing)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2004, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-dangerous-snake/252103/17 "2004-06-25T03:20:27Z")
If I had a colony of garter snakes in my backyard would I notice less roaches and rodents in our house and garage. Do people ever buy them for home pest control purposes?? ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2004, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-dangerous-snake/252103/18 "2004-06-25T05:09:49Z")
**Jayjay** Remember that nonvenomous snakes survive by not being seen. There’s the possibility your back yard does have garter snakes, but they’ve managed to avoid detection. Back when I lived in Fort Washington, I found deer droppings all the time. Based on those, several dear were in our yard on an almost daily basis. But we only actually saw deer once every two months or so. Rattlers- I saw a rattlesnake on a camping trip in PA. At the time I thought ‘That can’t be a rattlesnake, those are only in the southwest’. I did a websearch when I got home and discovered that several species of rattler live in this state. On the positive side, I only saw it because it made the grass move while running away from us. ---
**Author:** ![jimmmy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/73ab20/32.png) [@jimmmy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimmmy)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2004, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-dangerous-snake/252103/19 "2004-06-25T13:45:22Z")
I agree that they are beneficial, & I totally get people telling you to leave 'em be is like someone telling you to let spiders infest your house because they’ll kill all flies but … You can’t “get rid of them” without destroying the habitat where they are hanging out - meaning destroy your back yard as is – so, unless you are willing to do that I suggest you have the attitude “I know there are no mice and roaches infesting my yard.” ---
**Author:** ![Palikia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e95f7d/32.png) [@Palikia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palikia)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2004, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-dangerous-snake/252103/20 "2004-06-25T14:11:03Z")
Here in Deep South Texas, I have a large Ebony snake living under my deck. We occasionally meet early in the morning when I am leaving for work. Even though I live in the sub tropics, surrounded by heavy foliage, I live rodent free thanks to my Ebony. I leave him/her alone and we get along fine. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-dangerous-snake/252103.md?page=2)