Although you will probably never see a snake in this pose in the wild the general perception is that snakes are laying in wait waiting to attack whatever passes within range, but that is just not true. Snakes have to be very discriminating both in giving away their location as well as in the use of their venom. The survival of the snake depends on it. In the wild snakes have many enemies not the least of which is the human species. Give snakes the same respect you would give to any dangerous animal, look before you step, and chances are you will never have a snake bite or lunge at you.

Snakes are found on just about every continent and every environment including the water. Most snakes are very shy and reclusive creatures and will retreat from human contact in most cases, however, some snakes are easily angered and one should never attempt to play with or pick up a snake. The choice of a home for a snake will have a mixture of good ground cover and a constant supply of small animals like lizards, ground squirrels, rabbits, rats, and mice for prey. After finding and consuming prey snakes need a safe place to rest while they digest their food.

Some snakes lay eggs but others, like rattlesnakes and some on our top ten list, have babies that are born live. Clutches can be quite large but many of the newborns will not survive their first year. Newborns are usually not nurtured by an adult and in most cases are on their own from birth. These newborns face many challenges including finding appropriately size prey for food as well as staying away from their many predators such as birds, snakes, and other animals. Because they are born with mature venom glands newborns are dangerous and tend to be more belligerent that adults. In addition they have not learned how much venom to use and tend to deliver more venom than an adult would.

In northern areas and the higher elevations of their range snakes will congregate in crevices in rocky ledges to hibernate for the winter. These areas are referred to as "dens". They will return to these "dens" year after year. While most snakes live on or near the ground some live in trees. These tree snakes even have prehensile tails commonly seen in other creatures that live in trees.

It is my desire that anyone who happens upon this site will gain a new appreciation for the beauty and cunning of snakes, even deadly snakes. I know of no other creature on God's green earth that possess the variety in size, shape, temperament, and color of the kind shown by snakes. I am saddened when I hear someone say that if they see a snake in the wild they will try to kill it. I can't think of any other deadly animal where that behavior would be considered a normal reaction, but it is an attitude we accept when talking about snakes.

I am not sure that we as humans really understand the place and value of snakes to the environment. Snakes generally consume fast breeding high birthrate "pests" such as rodents. We will probably never fully understand the place of snakes in the environment before their numbers are at a critical level and their prey is free to overpopulate.

There is no way in such a small place I can tell you everything there is to know about snakes even if I knew. Not even the experts know everything and many don't agree on what is considered common knowledge. To learn more about a particular snake or snakes in general check out the links listed on the resource page. All of the information for this site is from one or more of these resources. I hope you have a new appreciation for or knowledge about snakes so that the next time you see one in the wild you can enjoy the experience.