Don’t tread on me, or shoot me, or chop me to pieces with a hoe, or put me in a bucket and take me home with you. When it comes to snakes, that is the gist of the message from Jeff Hall, a biologist with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC), who represents the state on the Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (PARC).
PARC is an international organization whose mission is to protect and conserve amphibians and reptiles and the habitats they live in. The organization is made up of many entities, from state and federal wildlife agencies to nonprofit conservation organizations, zoos and nature centers, and forest industry partners. In fact, anyone who has an interest in conserving amphibians and reptiles can join (https://www.ncparc.org/).
Why worry about herpetofauna, as the biologists refer to this group of animals? Well, they are part of the natural ecosystem and food web, and they serve as both predators and prey of other wildlife species. But they are also good indicator species as to the health of the overall ecosystem and the quality and quantity of habitat.
Snakes in the region
About 37 species of snakes exist in North Carolina. Out of these, only six are venomous, and of these only two are found in the western part of the state. Snakes that you are most likely to see in Macon County include the eastern garter snake, rat snake, and black racer. If you are around water, you might see a northern watersnake, which is often mistaken for a cottonmouth (which we don’t have here) or copperhead.
This brings us to the two venomous snakes we have here: the copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix) and the timber rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus), also called a canebrake rattlesnake in other parts of its range. The copperhead is the most common and is found statewide. The timber rattler is found in lower numbers throughout the state, except in the upper piedmont regions, and its population is in decline. Both species have triangular shaped heads and are in a group of snakes known as pit vipers, both give birth to live young, and both inhabit wooded, brushy, and rocky areas.
Timber rattlers are on the state “Species of Special Concern” list, which is one step below “Threatened” under the N.C. Endangered Species Act. As such, it is illegal to kill or possess them without special permits.
According to Hall, habitat destruction and fragmentation is a primary reason for their decline. Homes built on ridgetops in wooded, rural areas destroy their habitat and increase the likelihood of snakes being encountered and killed by humans. Roads to these homes are a big part of the threat; he cited a study that found that while many snakes cross a road quickly, rattlesnakes may linger on the road for up to five minutes, increasing their chances of being hit by a car. Not to mention that many people will swerve out of their way to intentionally run over a snake.
Another factor is their low reproductive rate; they take 8-10 years to reach reproductive maturity, may go several years in between litters, produce a relatively low number of offspring, and there is high juvenile mortality.
I grew up in the era of “the only good snake is a dead snake,” and I understand that many humans have a visceral fear of and revulsion for snakes. I’m not sure if this is instinctive or a learned behavior. I know from personal experience that almost stepping on a copperhead or hearing the abrupt buzzing of a rattlesnake while hiking induces a “fight or flight” response and sends the adrenaline level through the roof.
Snakebites are real, and people have died from being bitten by both copperheads and timber rattlers. But on the list of things to be worried about in life, they rank pretty low.
According to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an estimated 7,000-8,000 people are bitten by venomous snakes in the U.S. each year, and on average five people die from snakebites. To put that in perspective, an average of 72 deaths occur each year from hornet, wasp, and bee stings. And many, if not most bites occur when people intentionally handle (as in some religious services) or try to capture snakes.
Learn more
So live and let live, observe snakes safely from a distance, be mindful of where you put your feet and hands when hiking or doing other outdoor activities, and teach children to recognize snakes and leave them alone. And in the case of rattlesnakes, report sightings to the N.C. PARC; the organization is actively seeking help from the public in documenting rattlesnakes across the state. A photo and exact location is needed, so go to this website for details: https://www.ncwildlife.org/Portals/0/Learning/documents/Profiles/Reptile/RattlesnakeSightingsWanted.pdf.
To identify and learn more about all the snakes found in the state, this website is very helpful: https://www.ncwildlife.org/wildlife-habitat/species?combine=&field_catalog_categories_target_id_6%5B1579%5D=1579.
And, in case you were wondering, the timber rattler is the snake depicted on the ubiquitous yellow “Don’t Tread on Me” Gadsden flag, now a specialty license plate in at least a dozen states.