Venomous Snakes of Texas - Texas Parks and Wildlife [Official] Video Lecture | Hunter Education: Becoming an Expert Hunter - Hobbies

[music]
YOU KNOW THE WORD SNAKE
STRIKES FEAR IN THE HEARTS
OF MANY PEOPLE
EVEN THOUGH 85% OF THE
SNAKES IN TEXAS
ARE NOT VENOMOUS.
OF COURSE WE GET THE MOST
QUESTIONS ABOUT
THE VENOMOUS SNAKES.
[snake rattle]
TEXAS HAS 2 TYPES
OF VENOMOUS SNAKES.
FIRST ARE THE VIPERS.
PIT VIPERS HAVE
HEAT-SENSING SPOTS
ON THE SIDES OF THEIR HEADS
THAT HELP THEM LOCATE THEIR
PREY EVEN IN THE DARK.
HERE'S A WELL-KNOWN VIPER,
THE RATTLESNAKE.
IT HAS A TRIANGULAR-SHAPED
HEAD,
CAT-LIKE EYES AND A RATTLE AT
THE END OF ITS TAIL.
IF YOU HEAR A RATTLE, STOP,
LOCATE THE SNAKE,
THEN SLOWLY BACK AWAY.
ANOTHER PIT VIPER IS
THE COPPERHEAD.
COPPERHEADS ARE COLORED
TO BLEND IN
WITH LEAVES ON THE GROUND.
THEIR VENOM IS ONLY ABOUT
HALF THE STRENGTH
OF RATTLESNAKE VENOM.
THIS PIT VIPER IS THE COTTON-
MOUTH OR WATER MOCCASIN,
USUALLY FOUND NEAR WATER.
THE COTTONMOUTH IS DARK,
STUBBY AND MUSCULAR.
IT SWIMS SLOWLY, OFTEN WITH
ITS HEAD OUT OF THE WATER
WHILE OTHER WATER SNAKES
QUICKLY WIGGLE
ACROSS THE WATER.
BESIDES THE VIPERS, THE OTHER
VENOMOUS SNAKE WE HAVE
IS RELATED TO THE COBRA.
IT'S THE CORAL SNAKE.
THE SHY CORAL SNAKE HAS
BRIGHT BANDS
OF RED NEXT TO YELLOW.
THE RHYME, "RED AND YELLOW,
KILL A FELLOW"
WILL HELP YOU DISTINGUISH
THE CORAL SNAKE
FROM HARMLESS LOOK-ALIKES.
THE CORAL SNAKE'S VENOM
IS THE MOST POTENT
OF ALL TEXAS SNAKES
BUT BITES ARE EXTREMELY RARE.
WHAT SHOULD YOU DO IF
YOU SEE A SNAKE?
LEAVE IT ALONE.
DON'T PLAY WITH LIVE OR
DEAD SNAKES.
WATCH WHEN YOU STEP
OVER PILES OF BRUSH
OR ROCKS AND LOOK BEFORE
YOU PUT YOUR HAND
ON A ROCKY LEDGE.
SEEMS LIKE PEOPLE EITHER
LOVE 'EM OR HATE 'EM
BUT EITHER WAY, WE
NEED SNAKES.
THEY'RE FUN TO WATCH,
AMAZING TO LEARN ABOUT,
AND TRULY ONE OF OUR MORE
FASCINATING WILD THINGS.
[music]