Mizzou
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North Texas has snakes of most every stripe
By Jerry Abrams
Special to the Star-Telegram
"Everything in Texas," said a U.S. Army officer while serving in the Mexican War, "bites, stings or scratches."
Well, maybe not everything, especially in North Central Texas, but enough to warrant caution. In addition to being home to biting bugs and plants that scratch, North Central Texas is also harboring four kinds of venomous snakes. There are two species of copperheads, the beautiful but deadly coral snake, the Western cottonmouth and three kinds of rattlesnakes. Because it can be heard when it rattles a warning, a rattlesnake is the most likely of these to be seen.
The Western diamondback rattlesnake, Crotalus atrox, inhabits much of Texas. It's a large snake, with adults ranging from 2 1/2 to 4 1/2 feet in length. The largest diamondback ever recorded in Texas measured 7 feet 8 inches and came from Dallas County.
In color, the diamondback varies from brown to yellowish to reddish to blackish, with 24 to 45 diamond-shaped markings on the back. The tail, distinctly marked with black and white bands, has earned this snake the local name "coon-tail."
Dryland habitat can be home to this diurnal reptile. It feeds on small animals, birds and insects after disabling them by injecting venom. When disturbed, it coils with the head and tail erect and vibrates its rattles.
The timber rattler, Crotalus horridus, is found in thick forest, canebrakes and wet areas. C. horridus hibernates in caves and rock crevices along with other snakes. In much of the country, it's an endangered species protected by law.
Its color is yellow-brown or pink-gray with tan or red-brown crossbands bordered by lighter color. It has a dark stripe behind the eye, an orange stripe down the center of the back and a black tail. The head is triangular on a slim neck, and the rattle is brown. Diet is mostly warmblooded prey -- mice, squirrels, rabbits and birds.
The record length for the Western massasauga, Sistrus castenata, is 34 3/4 inches. Its dorsal color is tan or gray with 39 dark-brown splotches, and it is found in rocky places, in prickly-pear clumps, plains and grasslands. This little rattlesnake is nocturnal and never found far from a source of water.
Diet for the massasauga is like that of other rattlers except that it takes smaller prey.
You aren't likely to meet a rattler on your typical St. Augustine lawn. Rattlesnakes are deaf, but vibrations from lawn mowers, traffic and human activity discourage them in cities.
Just the same, in a new development near suitable habitat, any wild thing could show up. So be cautious outdoors. Watch where you put your hands and feet, don't reach into any holes, and remember that you're more apt to be struck by lightning than by a snake.
Jerry Abrams is a retired house remodeler who keeps his eye on wildlife in Burleson. His column appears monthly.
To view article and picture online, please go to:
http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/living/8282749.htm
Additional information, please go to:
http://www.animalcontrolproducts.com/Rattlesnake.html
By Jerry Abrams
Special to the Star-Telegram
"Everything in Texas," said a U.S. Army officer while serving in the Mexican War, "bites, stings or scratches."
Well, maybe not everything, especially in North Central Texas, but enough to warrant caution. In addition to being home to biting bugs and plants that scratch, North Central Texas is also harboring four kinds of venomous snakes. There are two species of copperheads, the beautiful but deadly coral snake, the Western cottonmouth and three kinds of rattlesnakes. Because it can be heard when it rattles a warning, a rattlesnake is the most likely of these to be seen.
The Western diamondback rattlesnake, Crotalus atrox, inhabits much of Texas. It's a large snake, with adults ranging from 2 1/2 to 4 1/2 feet in length. The largest diamondback ever recorded in Texas measured 7 feet 8 inches and came from Dallas County.
In color, the diamondback varies from brown to yellowish to reddish to blackish, with 24 to 45 diamond-shaped markings on the back. The tail, distinctly marked with black and white bands, has earned this snake the local name "coon-tail."
Dryland habitat can be home to this diurnal reptile. It feeds on small animals, birds and insects after disabling them by injecting venom. When disturbed, it coils with the head and tail erect and vibrates its rattles.
The timber rattler, Crotalus horridus, is found in thick forest, canebrakes and wet areas. C. horridus hibernates in caves and rock crevices along with other snakes. In much of the country, it's an endangered species protected by law.
Its color is yellow-brown or pink-gray with tan or red-brown crossbands bordered by lighter color. It has a dark stripe behind the eye, an orange stripe down the center of the back and a black tail. The head is triangular on a slim neck, and the rattle is brown. Diet is mostly warmblooded prey -- mice, squirrels, rabbits and birds.
The record length for the Western massasauga, Sistrus castenata, is 34 3/4 inches. Its dorsal color is tan or gray with 39 dark-brown splotches, and it is found in rocky places, in prickly-pear clumps, plains and grasslands. This little rattlesnake is nocturnal and never found far from a source of water.
Diet for the massasauga is like that of other rattlers except that it takes smaller prey.
You aren't likely to meet a rattler on your typical St. Augustine lawn. Rattlesnakes are deaf, but vibrations from lawn mowers, traffic and human activity discourage them in cities.
Just the same, in a new development near suitable habitat, any wild thing could show up. So be cautious outdoors. Watch where you put your hands and feet, don't reach into any holes, and remember that you're more apt to be struck by lightning than by a snake.
Jerry Abrams is a retired house remodeler who keeps his eye on wildlife in Burleson. His column appears monthly.
To view article and picture online, please go to:
http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/living/8282749.htm
Additional information, please go to:
http://www.animalcontrolproducts.com/Rattlesnake.html
i like snakes but ahh *looks at MizzDeaf* knowing her she would give me a BIG flat "NO" if i ever asked her to let me own a snake 
