I am under the impression that the vast majority of snakes in this area are nonvenomous, based on some nature books I read as a kid when we’d go to the lake house (in NH). That is to say, I grew up going there and read the books as a kid, and now as an adult I have this idea that the dangerous snakes were further south/whatever and have always felt very safe when I’ve seen snakes as a result.
We’ve now moved to Massachusetts and my husband was startled by a snake while on a walk recently. I told him it probably was harmless* but he isn’t sure he believes me, and now that I think about it, I don’t have any really concrete reason to believe me either.
So what’s the straight dope? Are my woods filled with dangerous snakes or are local snakes probably pretty safe? I’m sure someone 'round here is a snake nerd and knows the habitats of the little fellas!
There are two. Both the Timber Rattlesnake and the Copperhead are listed as endangered in Massachusetts, so I wouldn’t expect to run into either regularly.
…Statewide, populations of our two endangered venomous snakes are believed to number no more than a few hundred individuals. Due to a host of problems, these populations are probably still declining despite rigorous efforts to protect them. Our “rattlers” are now known to exist at only a dozen or so widely scattered sites in mountainous regions of the state; the distribution of copperheads is even more restricted. As a result, most of Massachusetts is completely devoid of venomous serpents.
Both those snakes have a reasonably distinctive appearance that sets them apart from most common varieties. In particular, the Rattlesnake (the more common of the two) has a rattle, which makes it extremely easy to identify. So there’s no need to be in much doubt about whether a snake you encounter in MA is dangerous or not.
I could point out that 2 of the most common snakes in Massachusetts, garter and hognose snakes are both technically venomous.(They’re not dangerous though, their venom is so weak it was only recently that scientists figured out they had any. Of course after if you came back after a million years of evolution things might be different.) Anyway yes most of the snakes around here are safe and I’ve never actually seen a dangerous one. I mean the main worry you have if you pick up a snake around here is that it will poop on you. (Yes, I found that out the hard way.)
Meh. That study concluded that all snakes and most lizards are mildly venomous. I think it does disservice to the meaning of the word. We probably need a new classification as none of the animals added to the list pose any threat whatsoever to a human, or anything above their prey item size.
I’ve watched cousins of mine catch black racers (common in the southcoast, not sure about the rest of the state) - those are the nastiest, meanest, most angry snakes I’ve ever seen. Big, too. The UMass site doesn’t say it, but I can tell you that they do indeed bite while they “writhe, defecate and spray musk.” They aren’t poisonous, though. Not like you’re going to catch me picking them up, either.
I do know a guy who was bit by a copperhead in Rehoboth about fifteen years ago while walking in the woods of his property next to a pond. The doctors told him to buy a lottery ticket - his odds were better of winning MegaBucks than getting bit by a copperhead in Massachusetts.
Same for NH. In NH there are more places with rattlesnake in the name, than there are actual rattlesnakes in the state. Only a very few limited locations with very limited populations.
And ignore anyone that says they’ve seen a real water moccasin in the waters around here. There aren’t any, and usually they are confusing them with another black snake.
I was just at the Boston Museum of Science a week ago, where they give the answer Tamerlane gave – on the window of the Timber Rattler cage! You can go there to see one in the flesh.
By the way, I was a Boy Scout for years (Eagle Scout and Order of the Arrow) and have camped a bit since, but I’ve never even seen a poisonous snake in the wild. I have seen quite a few non-poisonous ones, though.
I’ve seen copperheads in upstate New York, around the latitude of southeast MA. All my life I’ve heard stories of rattlers in remote areas of MD, PA, NY, and MA. The stories were usually qualified with ‘they are probably all gone now’. Interesting to see there are still known cases.
All venomous snakes in the northern US are pit vipers, which means they have a triangular-shaped head. If you’re north of the Carolinas, and you see a snake with cheeks the same width as its neck, it’s nonvenomous. In the southern US, you’ll also get coral snakes (a relative of the cobra) in a few places, but they’re easily recognized by their black, red, and yellow stripes.
Bands or rings, not stripes. Coral snakes have colored *bands * or *rings *that encircle their bodies. (As do some non-venomous kingsnakes/milksnakes in the genus Lampropeltis, some of which may be found in the OP’s area.)
Stripes are understood to run along the length of the body, and there may be some garter snakes with various colors of stripes in the OP’s area.
Head shape can be problematic in the field, as the head may be under an object or even hidden by coils of the snake itself, and thus not be visible. The proper rule is to treat all unknown and/or unidentified snakes with caution. Fear though is unwarranted, since even most venomous snakes want nothing to do with a human.
These are all the snakes that are native to NH according to the Fish and Game page:
Racer, Black
Rattlesnake, Timber
Snake, Brown
Snake, Common Garter
Snake, Eastern Hognose
Snake, Eastern Ribbon
Snake, Milk
Snake, Northern Water (not a water moccasin species)
Snake,Redbelly
Snake, Ringneck
Snake, Smooth Green
I was using the term in a non-technical sense, in which bands would be a type of stripe. But what you say is less ambiguous, and I probably would have said “bands” if the word had occurred to me.
I happen to have a lot of experience trying to decipher the public’s verbal descriptions (usually over the telephone, but sometimes face to face) of various critters, including snakes. I am endlessly amazed at the range of descriptive gymnastics people will offer, much of which bears little relation to objective reality. So I choose my own words very carefully.
What’s that phrase?? Black, red, yellow - very nice fellow (non-venomous)
Red, yellow, black - better stay back (for the coral snake)
Never saw a coral except in a live exhibit or museum setting.
Connecticut (my original home around Plainville) had rattlesnakes (rattlesnake mtn.) and personally witnessed copperheads - babies about 8 inches long and not fearless of humans. This was 50s and 60s so perhaps things have changed.
