Snakes in the South Valley

They give some people the willies, but for the most part, snakes
are our friends
The reaction is automatic: Your heart rate jumps, blood rushes to your head and you jerk back. It’s a snake!

Don’t panic. Chances are the snake is harmless, and having it around is actually beneficial – especially if it’s in your back yard.

“I have a lot of people come in here who actually want to buy gopher snakes,” said Carol Lui, owner of The Rainforest Pet Shop in Hollister. “It’s actually illegal for us to sell anything native to California, so I can’t help them, but people want gopher snakes to help take care of their yards.”

Snakes such as gopher and garters, both native to the South Valley, are beneficial to home gardeners because they eat and control many outdoor pests, explained a volunteer at Santa Clara’s Master Gardeners program. The snakes eat gophers and moles, as well as other rodents and pests that dig up gardens.

Along with gopher and garter snakes, king, ribbon, ring neck and rattlesnakes are other species native to the South Valley, said Joe Fitting, director of education at the San Francisco Zoo. Rattlesnakes are the only venomous snake native to California.

“No matter what kind of snake you encounter, give it some space,” Fitting said. “It’s the fight or flight thing: If you get near a snake, its natural instinct will be to get away from you. But, if you catch it by surprise and try to pick it up or get too close, it can bite you in an effort to protect itself. Never pick up any wild animal.”

Snakes don’t have ears, so they mostly rely on feeling the vibrations of an approaching potential predator, Fitting said.

Though Western rattlesnakes are the only rattlesnake found in the South Valley, most snakes people encounter will be nonvenomous, said Brant Porter, an interpretive park ranger at Pinnacles National Monument.

“The most important thing people need to do is be aware of their surroundings,” Porter said. “If you come across any snake, don’t kick sand at it or poke at it; just let it go. Really, that’s one of the things people come here for – to watch nature in action. As soon as a snake senses people are around, they generally move along, anyway. They aren’t interested in biting or eating people.”

People may encounter snakes, particularly rattlesnakes, early in the day, or in the late afternoon and early evening, Porter said.

“Snakes seek radiant heat or heat from direct sunlight to do snakey-type things for the rest of the day,” he explained. “Chaparral, the native brush out here, doesn’t let much light through, so they seek the heat out in the open.”

Be especially careful of rattlesnakes you encounter during these hours, because a cold rattlesnake may not have the energy yet to pose and rattle a warning, Porter said.

Whether or not a snake rattles at you, never panic and try to kill it. Not only are snakes protected in state and national parks, some, especially some gopher snakes, closely resemble rattlesnakes but are very docile.

Is it a Rattler?

Several snakes may assume an instinctual defensive position used to bluff potential predators. A gopher snake has the added trait of imitating a rattlesnake by flattening its head and body, vibrating its tail, hissing, and actually striking if someone or something gets too close.

A rattlesnake is a heavy-bodied, blunt-tailed snake with one or more rattles on the tail. It has a triangular-shaped head, is much broader at the back than at the front, and has a distinct “neck” region. The rattlesnake also has an opening between the nostril and eye, which is a heat-sensing pit. Additional identifying characteristics include a series of dark and light bands near the tail that are different from the markings on the rest of the body. The bands are located just before the rattles.

Source: California Department of Fish and Game

Fun Snake Facts

– There are 33 species of snakes in California.

– There are only six venomous species (18 percent of total) in California, all of which are rattlesnakes.

– Of the 8,000 cases of envenomation, or people being bit by snakes, per year in North America, only 10 to 15 are fatalities.

– In many snakes, the left lung is reduced or absent.

– Some snakes lay eggs, and others, such as rattlesnakes, give birth to live young.

– Snakes use venom to immobilize prey. Defense is a secondary function.

– Venom is 90 percent protein.

– Venom is composed of neurotoxins, which attack the nervous system, and/or hemotoxins, which attack the circulatory system.

– Snakes can meter the dosage of venom to prey.

Source: www.werc.usgs.gov

What to do in Case of a Rattlesnake Bite:

– Do not panic. First, take a deep breath. A rattlesnake bite will leave two well-defined puncture marks, and there will be an immediate, lasting pain. If you are unsure if the snake is a poisonous species, treat it as a medical emergency anyway.

– If you have been bitten by a rattlesnake, get help as soon as possible. The best treatment for a rattlesnake bite is to seek medical treatment immediately. Call 911 and get to a hospital emergency room as soon as possible.

– If someone else has been bitten, keep that person calm and call 911 or transport them to the hospital. Don’t chase the snake. The antivenin treatment for a rattlesnake bite does not require knowing what species of rattlesnake it is. The emergency medical staff should be able to identify the characteristics of a bite without knowing exactly what kind of snake it is.

Do NOT do any of the following:

– apply a tight, constricting tourniquet.

– cut the bite area.

– ice the bite area.

– attempt to suck out the venom with your mouth.

– give alcohol to the bitten person.

Source: San Diego Natural History Museum