Snake Identification

Snakes are generally feared by one and all. They are mysterious creatures and are usually not encountered by us city folks. For the common man, all snakes are venomous and every encounter can prove to be fatal for either party. However, not all snakes are fearsome. There are more non-venomous snakes in the world than the venomous ones. Whether it is poisonous or not, every snake plays a very important role in the ecosystem. It is always very interesting to learn about snake identification, as you never know when a serpentine creature slithers past you. The following paragraphs will prove to be a simple snake identification guide that will help you learn some basic identification facts.

Identification of Snakes
Learning identification of snakes is a educational tool that will help you spot a venomous snake around human habitat as well as help save the life of a non-venomous snake, mistaken to be a venomous snake. You can easily identify a rattlesnake by the rattle on its tail. But there are many snakes that look very similar to other snakes and hence, cause confusion. The following snake identification by characteristics will help you to learn snake identification.

Is this Snake Venomous
When it comes to identification of snake, 'is the snake poisonous' is the first question that runs through your mind. The points covered under this venomous snake identification are related to US snakes. It is a common misconception that all venomous snakes have elliptical eyes like a cat's eye. Venomous snakes in US do have elliptical eyes (exception Coral Snake). However, this statement does not hold true for snakes around the world. Cobras and Boomslang have round pupils, shattering the rule that all snakes have elliptical eyes. If you are in the US, and come across a snake with elliptical eyes, it is probably a venomous pit viper species.

Other than that, non-venomous snakes are generally of a single color throughout their body. Stripe(s) from the head way back to the tail also indicates a non-venomous snake. A spoon shaped round headed snake in non-venomous and those with a flat head are venomous snakes. A small depression between the eye and nostril called the pit, is a physical characteristic of a venomous snake. Poisonous water snakes have most of their bodies floating over water.

Common Snakes of the Area
The next thing to do is run a search over the Internet and search for the common snake inhabitants of your area. This will help you become aware of the snakes that you may probably come across in your garden or your neighborhood. This will also help narrow down identification of venomous snakes from non-venomous snakes. However, there are always exceptions and you never know if someone gets a snake from the far end of the world as a pet and loses it. This snake may end up in your neighborhood and leave you wondering 'where the hell did he come from?'.

Pattern and Color
The first thing that you will observe in a snake is its skin pattern and color. You should look out for the following characteristics of pattern and color that help in identification of snake.

Blotches
The snake may have a large color block that is rectangular or irregularly shaped. The blocks often has dark borders.

Speckles
If there are more than one dots or fleck of color per scale.

Diamonds
You should see if there are large diamond shaped markings on the snakes body that are in one, or multiple colors.

Rings
This characteristic has color bands that go right across the back to the sides and encircle the snakes body.

Spots
These are small, round markings without borders that covers many scales.

Crossbands
These are color bands that go across the back and down to the sides. These bands, however, do not cross the body.

Stripes
These are color lines that run lengthwise down the body of the snake. These stripes may be one or many scales wide.

Head and Neck Colors
Some snake species have different markings or colors on the head from the body. These markings can be in form of bands, stripes or solid color.

Two Toned
The upper body of the snake is different in color from the lower body of the snake.

No Pattern
There is no marking or color difference. The snake is covered in a single color uniformly all over the body.

Size
Size is another characteristic that is used in identification of snake. Baby snake identification is carried out measuring the length from 3 to 17 inches. A small snake is generally 6 to 18 inches in length, medium snakes are 19 to 36 inches and large snakes are well over 3 feet in length.

Body Shape
Body shapes help distinguish snakes from different species. There are three body shapes basically that help in snake identification.

Typical
The typical or normal body shapes are medium build snakes. They are somewhat round in shape and look kind of slender. For example : King Snake.

Slender
These snakes look skinny and not bony. A good example for this type of snake is a Coachwhip.

Stout
A little chubby looking is the stout snake type. They may look a bit overweight, but they are a bit 'well build' ones. For example, Ball python.

This was a short snake identification guide that will help you learn more about the snakes in your area. You can use this information to identify the snake. If you are unsure of the nature of the snake, maintain safe distance and call for help from the authorities. Snakes are generally elusive creatures and avoid confrontation with humans. If you spot a snake raising its hood, flicking its tongue or giving out some kind of warnings, stay back. Do not aggravate the snake further or it may prove to be a fatal bet. Hope this article has helped you learn some information related to identification of snakes.