Page 15 - October Sun Rays_Oct 2015

Fall weather brings out baby CA NEWS
rattlesnakes
OCTOBER 2015 SUNRAYS | 13
Submitted by Steve Kelley, Wildlife Management Committee

October brings lots of
changes to Sun City. Hints
of cooler winds, leaves
turning wonderful fall
colors, deer getting some
relief from dry weather in
the form of a new acorn
crop, and last - but not
least - a whole new set of
young snakes.

In Sun City, there have A baby rattler lies coiled behind
been seventeen species of this welcome sign on a Sun City
snakes identified over the front porch.
years. All of these snakes
serve a valuable function by keeping the rodent populations
in check. Without a healthy number of snakes, all of our rats
and mice, along with the diseases they carry, would grow
exponentially.

In Texas, there are only four types of venomous snakes:
rattlesnakes, coral snakes, copperheads and cottonmouths.
Fortunately for Sun City, only two of these - the Western
Diamondback rattlesnake and the Texas Coral snake – reside
locally. Sun City has never had a verified copperhead and
venomous cottonmouth snakes are not known to occur in
Williamson County.

Coral snakes rarely bite humans. The only recorded Sun
City bite from a coral snake was a snake wrangler who was
accidentally bitten after placing a captured snake in a bag.

Rattlesnakes are a different story, and several residents have
been bitten when stepping on a rattlesnake. Young rattlers are
born alive in late summer and early fall and begin showing
up in significant numbers around October. Young rattlers
love to lay coiled in mulch beds and blend in perfectly with
the dry grey material. Young rattlesnakes tend to strike
more randomly and frequently, and deliver venom in a higher
percentage of bites than their adult counterparts. Research
shows approximately 50% of all rattlesnake bites are “dry,”
meaning no venom is injected with the bite. A rattlesnake
would much rather avoid or scare off a human than waste
valuable venom. Rattlers will not pursue people, and a simple
step back is enough to avoid the danger.

As temperatures begin to cool, snakes become less nocturnal,
making them far more likely to be found out and about in the
daytime. Keep a sharp look out, carry a flashlight after dark
and be very careful allowing your dog to walk ahead of you
on a path or the street. Rather than just killing what could
be a harmless species by mistake, residents should call on
one of Sun City’s volunteer snake wranglers when a snake is
sighted. Wranglers can assist in snake identification, removal
and relocation.

ONLINE: SCTEXAS.ORG