Snakes
… why did it have to be snakes?
Though just the word strikes terror into the hearts of many
people, the rattlesnake is the only venomous native snake in our
state!
Snakes … why did it have to be snakes?
Though just the word strikes terror into the hearts of many people, the rattlesnake is the only venomous native snake in our state!
Learning to recognize the different species not only will help keep you stay safe but will allow you to appreciate the benefits of our native reptiles.
Got gophers in your lawn? Mice in the corn fields? Snails overrunning the garden? Snakes are a natural and efficient method of pest control!
Learning the difference might have meant avoiding a near-tragic incident early this month when a Morgan Hill woman, out on her daily walk, was horrified to come upon four men beating a snake they mistakenly assumed was a rattlesnake.
The reptile was actually an innocent California king snake that had just slithered out to the sidewalk for a little sun.
The woman immediately rescued the snake, which was close to death from its ghastly injuries – broken jaw, head wounds and a bleeding eye.
The snake was brought to the Wildlife Education and Rehabilitation Center, which administered emergency treatment, and then taken to Dr. Suzanne Colbert of Princevalle Pet Hospital in Gilroy.
Colbert and the staff immediately began intensive medical therapy with daily antibiotic injections and tube-feeding to provide nourishment until the snake’s physical condition improves enough to allow it to eat on its own.
California king snakes, which can grow up to 6 feet long, range throughout most of the western United States and are common in a wide variety of habitats including forests, woodlands, marshes, deserts, grasslands and semi-rural backyards.
The king snake’s name is fitting: It eats snakes, including other king snakes and is immune to the venom of rattlesnakes. It also dines on an astonishing smorgasbord of other wildlife, including small rodents, lizards, birds, turtles and frogs. King snakes are constrictors – they hunt and kill by striking and coiling around their prey.
With its missing eye and permanent head injuries, this glossy dark-brown and white king snake would not be able to survive for long in the wild.
If medical treatment proves successful, she will join WERC’s educational animal team, appearing at public events and school programs, as did two of WERC’s past educational King Snakes: “Quasimodo,” who had his back broken when a cat attempted to eat him as he was hatching from an egg, leaving him partially paralyzed and “Cat-Got-My-Tongue” who, just like his name states, had his tongue pulled out during a run-in with a cat.
Find out more about the snakes and other wildlife living in your backyard – check out nature Web sites and visit your library.
