Banded Snail-eater (Sibon annulatus)
Okay, just one more before World Snake Day is over… The Banded Snail-eater (Sibon annulatus) from Costa Rica is about as harmless as it gets. A specially adapted jaw structure enables it to feed on snails and other soft-bodied prey but pretty much precludes it from biting anything bigger. Besides, a full-grown adult is not much bigger than a good-sized nightcrawler. Nothing to fear here!
Read MoreNorthern Water Snake (Nerodia sipedon)
Today is World Snake Day, intended to draw attention to the plight of snakes worldwide and to celebrate how incredibly fascinating they are. I thought I’d share one of our local species whose classic case of mistaken identity often has it end up on the wrong end of a shovel. Throughout its extensive distribution range Northern Water Snakes (Nerodia sipedon) are regularly mistaken for venomous Water Mocassins or Copperheads – even in areas where these two venomous snakes don’t even occur! Water snakes tend to show their unease with an approaching human by pretending to be...
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