The fear of snakes is very understandable.  Snakes are quiet, they blend in to the surrounds and typically you don’t see them until they slither away from you or they strike.  However, a lot of people misunderstand that the likely hood of coming across an extremely venomous snake is unlikely.  Snakes don’t prefer to interact with humans unless they are feeling threatened or territorial.  Also, not all snakes are venomous and every region has its mix of venomous and harmless snakes.

The Belcher’s Sea Snake is the most venomous of snakes.  This snake is found in the oceans near Australia.  The fact that this snake is the most venomous can be very misleading.  Belcher’s Sea Snakes are known to be very docile and they will undergo a lot of trauma before they bite their attacker.  The majority of people attacked by these snakes are fishermen who accidentally entrap the snakes causing the snakes to become anxious and lash out.  However, only around twenty five percent of bites from these snakes are actually envenomated.

Belcher’s Sea Snake

A snake that should be more feared than the world’s most venomous snake is the Black Mamba.  This snake is found in many parts of Africa.  The Black Mamba isn’t as venomous as it is aggressive and precise.  These snakes can strike twelve times in a row with its venom acting as a neurotoxin.  The bites from these snakes aren’t always fatal, but they cause a severe handicap throughout the attack.  However, these attacks are very rare.  Black Mamba snakes fear highly populated areas and they avoid confrontation when they can.  The reason for this snakes speed and high venom concentration is because these snakes prey upon small rodents and primates, animals that require a quick and precise capture.

Black Mamba

In Pennsylvania there are twenty two species of snakes with only three of these species having venomous attributes.  These snakes are the Northern Copperhead, the Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake and the Timber Rattlesnake.

Northern Copperheads are the leading reptiles that bite in Pennsylvania, however, there bites aren’t fatal.  These snakes blend in to their surrounds which may cause people to accidentally step on or touch the snake.  If the snake is touched it will emit a musk that smells like cucumber and crawl away.  If the snake is seeped on it will strike, but after one strike it will seek an escape route.

Northern Copperhead

The Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake is rarely seen as these snakes like to burrow and hide.  These snakes are the most docile of snakes in Pennsylvania.  Instead of confronting a predator, the Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake will try to escape.

Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake

Finally, the Timber Rattlesnake are the largest quantity of venomous snakes in Pennsylvania.  Like the previous two snakes, the Timber Rattlesnake does not prefer to confront its attacker or object that is perceived as threatening.  Instead, this snake will make a lot of noise in order for the object it is dealing with to realize that the snake is there.

Timber Rattlesnake

Again, I do understand the fear of snakes.  However, I believe people should be educated on these reptiles because, the majority of the time, a human is not in immediate danger of being attacked by these creatures.