Of all the animals that inhabit the wild, it seems the most misunderstood and feared creatures are snakes.

We were not born with the fear of snakes; it has been instilled by passed-down inaccurate information.

Also, Hollywood had a hand in this; if there was a dark moment in a particular movie based in the tropics—for example, a snake crawling on the ground—it was frequently portrayed as dangerous. (It likely was a tame python or some other harmless species that the animal trainers could easily handle.)

In the state of PA, there are 24 species of snakes. Of that number, only three are venomous. Of the three venomous species, one is present in our region: the timber rattlesnake.

A single copperhead was documented in Pike County during the summer of 2021; this was the first sighting in the county in 15 years.

I heard that copperheads were in Pike County, but the reports are all a decade old—or more.

The snakes that you are likely to spot in your backyard or in the wild will likely be one of the many non-venomous species present. The largest of these in the region are the northern racer or the eastern ratsnake. Both can grow to over five feet long and both are black in color.

Garter snakes are a very common species and can be found almost everywhere.

Smaller snakes, such as the northern ring-necked snake, can sometimes be seen; many of these species hide under rocks during the day and feed nocturnally.

None of our region’s snakes are aggressive in nature. Even timber rattlesnakes would rather flee than bite; stick to the trails and keep an eye on the ground.

Any snake might bite if handled. A bite from a small garter snake might not even be felt, but a larger garter snake (two to three feet long) could have teeth large enough to cause little pin-pricks in your skin. It is recommended that you apply antiseptic to the bite area if bitten by a non-venomous snake.

It is best to become familiar by sight with the snakes in the region before trying to handle any snake. Aside from getting them out of a road or away from other means of harm, it is better to let them be.

Observe them in their natural habitat; watch their true behavior and don’t rely on all those old Tarzan movies we watched as kids.