Snakes

Snakes are a group of legless, highly specialized reptiles.  They have clear, immovable eyelids, a forked tongue which is used to smell their surroundings, and a body covered in fine scales on the dorsal surface and (typically) large flat scutes on the belly.  In our area, snakes range in size from species with an average adult size of around 10" up to species with an adult size up to 8 1/2 feet.  Snakes are all predators, and their prey ranges in size (in our area) from termites to jackrabbits.  They eat the prey whole, and have moveable jaws with an extra joint and that are not connected in the front - this allows them to engulf food items much larger in diameter than their bodies.  Most species of snake in our area are considered harmless to people, although some do produce salivary secretions which are mildly toxic to their prey.  Only 5 species in our area produce complex venoms, possess venom glands with significant storage spaces, and have fangs capable of injecting these venoms into their prey - all 5 of these species are capable of inflicting a dangerous if not life-threatening bite.  Over the past 10 years, ongoing research has shown that the line between "venomous" and "non-venomous" is not so clear cut as was once thought.  However, at least in our area, the line between "harmless" and "dangerous" remains clear-cut.

Many people seem to possess an almost atavistic fear of snakes, regardless of whether they are dangerous or not.  To a large degree, this fear is learned.  I once had a friend who was terrified of snakes but who wanted her son to not fear them.  She brought her son over to my house, and I got out the most inoffensive, gentle snake that I possessed (a small rosy boa from California).  The 2 year old boy reached for the snake, but when he looked to his mother to make sure it was OK, he could see her shaking and expression, and pulled his hand back.  To me, this clearly indicates that small children learn from their parent's fear at a very early age.

In general, most species of snake are beneficial to man - many feed on rodents that feed upon crops and stored grain.  All species of snakes are most likely more terrified of people - even a seemingly aggressive rattlesnake is reacting from fear for its life - even the largest of our snakes is no more than 1/10th the size of a small adult woman.   Virtually all snakes would be perfectly willing to retreat from human threats if given the opportunity.

There are possibly 36 species of snake found in the Nueces Canyon.  We consider 4 of these species to be questionable (?) and have personally verified 22 species for the area.  These species are marked with an asterisk(*).  Dangerous species are marked in RED.