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Snakes got a bad reputation from the beginning by tempting Eve in the Garden of Eden and have been chopped up with hoes, shot and intentionally run over ever since.

Snakes, like spiders and bats, are beneficial. Most country folk understand this. For example, one rat snake can eat three rats every two weeks. Clearly one snake can significantly impact an ecosystem by reducing the potential for serious diseases like hanta virus or Lyme disease, not to mention reducing losses on feed and grain caused by such vermin.

Non-venomous snakes are generally harmless. At the first sign of danger, or human contact, snakes will usually flee. Most snakes strike in defense as a last resort.

Unfortunately, there is no single rule to use to tell the difference between a venomous snake and a poisonous snake. Head or pupil shape has not been confirmed as a sure distinction and vent positioning requires picking the animal up.

Here are brief descriptions of some of the non-poisonous snakes found in Alabama. King snakes are found in a wide variety of habitats. Depending on which species you encounter, some are black with light yellow or whitish crossbands or black with scattered flecks of yellow. The belly

Water Snake

King Snake

is a combination of black and yellow. Adults can reach four feet in length. They feed on the regular snake fare and other snakes, including venomous species. King snakes are immune to the venom of rattlesnakes, cottonmouths and copperheads.

Water snakes are found in aquatic environments. However, some species have been spotted several hundred feet away from water. Water snakes often grow to a length of four feet and

are light brown on top with darker squares on the back and sides. The brown water snake is the most common and is often mistaken for the venomous cottonmouth. This snake frequently basks on tree limbs that overhang the water. Brown water snakes feed almost exclusively on fish.

Garter Snake

Garter snakes are found in habitats that are damp, although not necessarily near permanent water. They are usually less than two feet long, but can get longer. They have three yellow longitudinal stripes on a dark body or they can have a black line body pattern with poorly defined stripes and a grayish body color. Their bellies are white or light yellow. This species gives birth to live young, sometimes having more than 50 babies. Garter snakes feed on fish, small reptiles and amphibians.

Rat snakes are most often found in wooded or swampy areas. Adults grow to more than four feet in length. Varied species range from olive with four dark stripes on their backs to black to

light gray or brown. They feed on birds, rats, mice and squirrels. They are known on the farm as "chicken snakes" because they readily eat caged chickens.

Brown snakes are found in woodlands and swampy areas but is one of the most common species found in residential areas. It seldom grows to more than a foot in length. Its color varies from brown or gray to dark brown. They feed on earthworms, slugs and salamanders. When threatened, they curl their upper lips upwards, making their mouths look larger.

Racers are found in a wide variety of habitats. Racers are frequently seen crossing highways during the day. Adults are large and slender, three to five feet long and dark gray to black

Rat Snake

Brown Snake

except for a white chin. It has a whip like tail, an elongated head, relatively large eyes and smooth lustrous scales. The "blue" racer is uniformly gray with a sheen of metallic green or a metallic blue. They feed on frogs, rodents, birds, lizards and insects.

Some people just can’t stand the thought of a snake, no matter how important it might be to the environment. To avoid all snake species, be cautious when gardening and performing lawn chores. You can also limit your encounters with snakes by not creating habitats for them in your yard.

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