Life of snakes

It's a nice warm day and you decide to go to the lake. You find a nice quiet area away from the crowd and settle down to bask in the sun. However, you soon discover you are not the only one enjoying the warmth of the rays. Laying stretched out on a limb hanging over the water is a large dark snake. You scream, he slithers and the quiet of the day is spoiled for the both of you. Upon hearing the scream, people come running and you explain how a huge water moccasin invaded YOUR territory. But are you sure it was a water moccasin? Maybe not.

All too often non-venomous water snakes are mistaken for the venomous water moccasin or otherwise known as the "Cottonmouth" so named because of its milky white lined mouth. The water moccasin and the water snake have many similarities that allow for these misidentifications. For instance, both species live around creeks, lakes, ponds, rivers, streams or swamps. Wherever there is a water source you are likely to find one of these guys. Another common characteristic of the water snake and water moccasin is their size. Either may grow up to five feet in length. They both have keeled scales, broad, triangular heads and stout bodies. Both species may become aggressive if they feel threatened or if it is mating season.

With all the similarities between the two species, how would one tell them apart? Glad you asked. There are a few differences. As mentioned earlier, the water moccasin has a white lined mouth which it displays wide opened when it feels threatened. Also the pupils of the water moccasin are vertical, meaning that it has what appears to be a slit in the middle, giving it a very sinister look. The water snake on the other hand has rounded pupils . So, if you happen to come upon one of these fascinating creatures and have the audacity to try to identify it, you can either ask him to open wide or simply look him in the eyes. I just suggest you leave well enough alone!

Snake proof boots, also often commonly referred to as just snake boots, are a great bit of outdoor clothing protection against venomous snake bites. But snake boots are also a little bit controversial, since there is some argument over whether or not they are necessary.

Some people say that normal hiking boots or regular cowboy boots can stop snake bites, but they're not specifically designed for this and the difference between coming out of a snake bite completely unharmed or taking some major venom from a big rattlesnake is an awfully big difference to risk on a "maybe."

Can normal cowboy boots stop a rattlesnake bite? Maybe. The answer you get depends on who you ask, and at least searching around online will give you answers on both sides of the field, so it's hard to figure out who's telling the truth, who isn't, or if this is just one of those questions that has a lot of gray and no clear cut answer.

Snake proof boots, on the other hand, stop snake bites from pit vipers and any other type of venomous snake you might run into. Period, end of statement. These boots will stop a snake bite, while there is still a major debate over whether or not cowboy boots, or normal hiking boots, actually do the same or not.

If you are going to be in an area that is known for having a lot of venomous snakes, especially if you are "out in the boondocks" where quick medical attention might be impossible, why in the world would you trust your safety to normal hiking boots instead of snake proof hiking boots? Why wear normal rubber boots in the swamp, when you can be wearing snake proof rubber swamp boots?

The question on whether or not snake boots are really necessary might continue to rage on, but as to the question of whether or not snake boots are a scam, the answer is simple: no. This type of footwear is designed to prevent the wearer from being injected with snake venom, and that's exactly what these specialty boots do.

Snake boots come in many forms, so whether it is for hunting wild turkey in a southern swamp, or going on a long adventure hike on the Appalachian Trail, there is a pair of snake proof boots that should be perfect for whatever you need them for. Why take a chance? Find a great pair of snake boots, and walk in secure confidence!

In the United States, each year an average of 8,000 people receive snake bites from venomous snakes. Some of these people are bitten from the result of not being able to identify the snake, while some others are bitten for the result of identifying the snake incorrectly and getting close to it thinking that it is safe to do so. Even the 'harmless', non-venomous snakes can cause a severe infection or an allergic reaction in many people.

If ever bitten by a venomous snake, most doctors give you antivenin, an antidote to cure snake bites, to treat a serious snake bite. Each antivenin is created in a horse's blood serum when the horse is injected with snake venom. So they won't just give you any snake venom, for if it is not from the right kind of snake it can be like giving you poison. They will give you the venom for the kind of snake that bit you. So what if you don't know what kind of snake bit you? Well they normally have ways of finding that out, by the description of the snake or from the symptoms you have of the venom, but not all the time. For this reason it would be very useful to know your snakes.

For those who live on or near woody lands, swamps, or any source of water, it would be very good to know your snakes backwards and forward. Even the people who hunt, fish, hike, camp, and do other outdoor things. Knowing your snakes is really important. If you are any of these people above then take the time to learn all the snakes in your area or at least learn the basic features to tell the venomous and the non-venomous apart. For the one's that don't won't to take the time at all, when you see a snake, do like some people would do and just run as fast as you can. This may save you from being bitten.

All you you really have to know about snakes to identify them is listed below:

1. body length - this is can be very useful if the snake is fully grown

2. body shape- this is a very effective way of identifying most snakes especially water snakes and water moccasins

3. head & neck shape - this is can be used to identify any snake and some times tell the venomous apart from the non-venomous

4. color & pattern - very effective to identify a snake with, it can be hard if the snake is shedding its skin or if the snake is a small snake

5. scale texture - if you can see the scales this can be useful, but you may have to get closer to the see to see it. I don't recommend this way

6. eye pupil shape- this is probably the best way to tell the venomous and non-venomous snakes apart. If you can't do this without getting close then forget this method

Now to summarize all I have written in a few words, KNOW YOUR SNAKES.

After spending many vacations in Cancun, Mexico, I decided to take the plunge and move there to study the beautiful nature I'd admired in my previous trips. Having lived many years in the comfort and safety of American suburbia, it was time for some adventure. After learning Spanish, I went to the Yucatan and rented a home in suburban Playa del Carmen and hired myself a maid. Then, with help from hired guides and friends, I visited a variety of remote places in the Mexican jungles. It was an unforgettable experience to see a variety of animals in their natural habitats.

The ever-growing city of Playa del Carmen is an hour south of Cancun, and easily accessed by public buses. Both cities are on the Caribbean Sea, where coral reefs abound up and down the coastline. The beauty of pure white, limestone sand, and richly colored, turquoise water of the ocean drew me down there. Being a nature artist, I was fascinated by the plants and animals of the region. Armed with my cameras, drawing paper and pens, I got to work drawing and photographing bugs, birds, plants and anything else exotic. Soon, my artwork landed me a job as main illustrator for a large nature park called XCaret.

Whenever I had a drawing to deliver to my employer, I would board the employee bus for XCaret, and then walk down a long, back jungle path next to the park to the office. These walks fascinated me, due to the path was directly next to fenced enclosures for their zoo and aviary. Flamingoes, spider monkeys and a harpy eagle were animals I could see the best from the path. One time I made the mistake of giving one of the monkeys a cookie, only to see the other monkeys chase after him to steal it, trying to beat him up! I quickly got out a couple more cookies and gave the rest to them, to avoid the original monkey from getting hurt. They all sat there munching peacefully as I snuck off, hoping nobody saw.

In Mexico, you will see iguanas in nature frequently. As I walked down the nature path on my way to work, there was rustling in the big tree near me. I looked up only to see a large, 6 foot green iguana male with bright orange fringe on his back, in the canopy of the tree. He looked down at me. I remember people telling me that iguanas are good eating, taste like chicken, and that they are called "chicken of the tree". I never found out if that was true or not, but then, I wasn't about to go eating iguanas. Nope, I'm not that adventurous in my dining choices. Black iguanas can be seen usually sitting one per rock pile. Everywhere there were rocks, were male iguanas sunning themselves. Interesting creatures. In Chankanaab Park (on the island of Cozumel) there is a huge iguana that walks around public areas, oblivious to the humans that walk past it. It will bite if petted, the park employee told me. So, I took photos of it and kept my distance.

Another lizard that was interesting and plentiful, was Basiliscus basiliscus, the basilisk. There are a few varieties of basilisk to be found in Mexico. It can run on water if it gets scared enough, and I witnessed it after scaring one unintentionally. Later, I found a smaller one and drew it for my job, they have intense eyes, looking very serious. When I was finished drawing him, he ran upright into the jungle, glad to be free of the big, scary human with whom he'd spent a few hours with.

The jungles of Mexico are fascinating, but I would never recommend walking off your path into one. First off, the foliage is very dense. Second, there are critters in there that can hurt you if provoked, namely scorpions, snakes and spiders. Look, but don't touch. I have seen all of these, and have paid people to remove them from my home. Scorpions will come after you if they are agitated. Back away quickly, wherever they cannot follow. The lighter colored ones, I was told, are more dangerous than the black ones. There are tarantulas in Mexico, and they are big but not aggressive, thank goodness. I had a red-kneed tarantula taken away from the front of my door once. My maid used to throw out other spiders she found inside, and laugh when I would be freaked out by them. "This? It's harmless!" she'd tell me. Yuck. I took her word for it.

As for snakes, there are a few that are reason enough not to go walking alone in the jungle. First, there are huge boa constrictors. My ex-husband was called by the ladies next door, to remove a 6-foot boa out of their rental flat. They said it just slithered into the open back door. Lesson learned, never leave an open door to your house if you live close to the jungle. Then, there is a crimson colored snake the locals called Coralio. I don't know its scientific name, but it was beautiful but deadly. A man who lived near me had a whole apartment full of snakes, and he showed them to me up close. Snakes are interesting but it pays to watch where you step, since my ex and I nearly stepped on one during an evening walk. There are other snakes to watch out for, but these are the kinds that we saw. All snakes will mind their own business if unprovoked, it seems, trouble seems to be when humans aren't paying attention and step on one by mistake. So, it pays to watch where you walk.

Then there were the amazing birds. A gorgeous variety of colors, shapes and sizes, birds in Mexico are exotic and fascinating. My favorites were the toco toucan, motmot, currasows, Yucatan jay, cinnamon-colored cuckoo, and pileated woodpecker and violaceous trogon (a relative of the resplendent quetzal). They had a knack for showing themselves whenever I didn't have my camera with me. I did draw and take notes of what I saw, then look them up later. There was a bird that was so colorful that locals called it, "siete colores" (seven colors). After looking it up, I identified it as a painted bunting. Another bird locals call "pecho amarillo"(yellow breast), otherwise known as the great kiskadee, used to sit outside my window and yell, "Eeee, Eeee!" at the top of his lungs. We used to call back at him, and he'd answer. Very funny bird.

In Playa del Carmen, there is an outdoor aviary, built into the jungle, in the Playacar section. I went in there and walked around, to see the different birds that usually are hidden by jungle. One bird took a fancy to me, a barred currasow who followed me everywhere. She was my feathered tour guide, and posed for photos freely. I finally got to see a chachalaca up close, a relative to a turkey, that is shy, loud (its call sounds like a rusty meat grinder), and travels in groups. Also, there were red ibis, more flamingos, egrets, and much more. The aviary is a must see if you visit Playacar.

Another interesting natural sector in the Yucatan were all the bugs. Insects of every kind, in great quantities. I could've done without all the mosquitoes, though, thank goodness for bug repellent. My favorites were the butterflies. Sometimes when driving down remote roads, we came across undulating masses of various butterfiles colored yellow, white or black. Monarch butterflies also migrate in large groups down to Mexico, I saw them once, too. The most beautiful butterfly I came across in the wild, in my opinion, was the morpho butterfly. It has large irridescent blue wings, wasn't as common as other butterflies, and preferred the privacy of non-populated areas like fields and jungles. There was another butterfly that was big, brown and with its wings closed, was the size of a large dinner plate. It was called an owl butterfly, and flew slowly. I got really close to him and he seemed unafraid. He had patterns on his wings that were like numbers. Fascinating.

Beetles. Ahh, beetles..not very graceful, and apparently not all that bright, but endearing with their less than graceful antics. There were golden scarab beetles that used to fly into my window as I was working, frequently. They usually landed on their backs with their feet flailing helplessly in the air. Eventually the situation would rely on me turning them right-side up, some would then fly off, others would somehow end up on their backs again. It was odd, but I took the opportunity to draw these metallically colored insects, who looked as if they were gilded in brushed gold.

Grasshoppers and katydids are in large quantity in the jungles of the Yucatan. There are so many varieties of grasshoppers, I lost count. As for katydids. their bodies are gigantic, the size of a sparrow. I caught one, to draw him, then when I let him go off my balcony, he flew away in a straight path. His big, green body was visible for a very long time as he flapped off into the sunset, it was surreal.

Sea creatures and fish are plentiful in the Caribbean Sea. Though the reefs are endangered and show signs of damage, they are still beautiful. Every day, I'd snorkel in the low-traffic area near my home. It was serene to get to the beach early in the morning, pick up a few shells that washed up on shore, then make my spot on the beach. I'd snorkel until my body got cold, every day. There weren't many large predators in the areas I swam in, due to the breakwalls that run up and down the coast, separating the shores from the deeper, ocean water. Once in awhile, a barracuda would find its way into the reef area, my, what big teeth they have. Out there, you can see dolphins playing in the waves made by large yachts or ferries. Bottle-nosed dolphins are very social creatures and seem unafraid of humans. Some of the most memorable smaller fish and creatures I saw were brittle starfish (they live under rocks and will climb off your hand quickly if you try to hold one), octopus, conch, sea turtles, moray eels, blue tangs and of course, those feisty damselfish. Though I haven't gotten my scuba license, I went on a few professional scuba tours where the water was so shallow, snorkeling was possible. Tours are great for finding gorgeous coral gardens that aren't visible to everyone else. The prettiest ones I saw were near the town of Puerto Morelos.

Other places I liked to explore were the Cenotes Azul, and Dos Ojos. Cenotes are brackish water natural bodies of water that the Mayan indians used to build their villages around. Now, they sit in the jungle and tourists enter them to go cave diving. Underneath the Yucatan is an elaborate network of caves that attract cave-divers from all over the world. Not me, I preferred just swimming in the crystal clear water in the mouth of the cenotes, and observing the fish I saw. One of the cenotes had fish that I'd seen in pet stores back in the US, swimming there naturally. Jack Dempsey fish and green sailfin mollies, along with a kind of livebearer fish I didn't recognise. They were very colorful, and the Dempseys, being combative cichlids who like to pick on one another, had tattered fins. But, all the fish were very healthy. What a wonder it is to swim among them in their natural habitat. The nature around cenotes is interesting, too. I saw a basilisk run across the water, when I swam too close to him, and a duck that would dive for fish and stay underwater for a long time. Nature abounds in and around cenotes.

The nature of Mexico is plentiful and beautiful in all its forms. The tropical, hot climate brings out flora and fauna unlike anything I've ever seen in my home state of Ohio, or even in my current state of Florida. Living among the lush jungles, hearing jungle frogs sing at night and spending time with my wonderful Mexican co-workers, guides and friends changed my life. By being respectful of nature (look, don't touch) and watching where you walk, you will see clouds of butterflies, brilliantly colored birds, and animals like coatimundis, agoutis and others normally only seen in zoos. My employer promoted the preservation of Mexico's wildlife, and it was my honor doing artwork of all things natural for them. I miss walking the jungle path to their office weekly and seeing the zoo animals, as well as the wild ones in the trees. If you love nature, make sure to visit Mexico and go on tours to see the beauty of the wild, but with professionals who know where to take you. It will be an experience you will appreciate and remember forever.

Spitting cobras, emus, and a Gila monster were but a few of my living companions in the seventies. Ironically, I am so not an animal lover, it is more that I tolerate animals. If you had told me that one day I would live amongst exotic animals within the confines of my own home, I would have run the other way. For four years, I endured co-habitation with a strange husband and his strange home business. I met my ex-husband in Tennessee. We dated for a short time and during a moment of insanity, I agreed to leave my family and friends and run off to Florida with him. All of our belongings were packed in my Datsun pickup truck and off we went. Our destination was unknown. For one week our home was in a tent in the Okefenokee Swamp. Our neighbors were raccoons that ravaged through our meager food supply on a nightly basis. Mosquitoes as big as hummingbirds buzzed us relentlessly. Of course, there were alligators galore lurking in the water's edge. Once, we rented a sixteen foot flat bottom boat and trolled a few good miles through the murky waters of the Okefenokee Swamp. In some spots it was like going through a jungle with the occasional alligator eyes peering above the surface of the water at us. All seemed well and almost relaxing until we ran out of gas and were upstream from the base camp. The sun was setting and no other boats were in sight. All we could do was paddle. I with the oar in the rear paddling on one side, then the other. My ex was in the front sculling to steer. My job of paddling was the more strenuous of the two, but there was no way that I was putting my arm in the water as gator bait. Fortunately, after about one hour, a loan boater was puttering his way back to camp and seeing our dilemma threw us a line and towed us back to shore.

Without remorse on my part, we left the swamp in search of a more stable home environment. Next stop was a small town called Lake City, Florida and a job offer for my spouse as an alligator wrestler at a place appropriately called Alligator Town. It was a paycheck which afforded us our first roof over our head, a travel trailer in a nearby trailer park. The trailer was so small that if anyone came to visit, we all had to sit outside. The belongings we had packed in my truck stayed in the truck. The bathroom in the trailer was not much more than a spicket in a small closet. One week was all I could stand. After that, we moved on up the road to a bigger trailer...whoopee. At least this place had a toilet and a tub in the same room. The spare bedroom was used to house our ferret, named Freddie. The living room was rather spacious, therefore, my hubby set up a large aquarium for his python (or maybe it was a boa constrictor), I forget. Whatever big snake it was, it escaped during the night. Can you imagine having to tell your neighbors that if they find a rather large nine foot snake, please return it to us? It brought us notoriety. The local newspaper got wind of it and ran an article. Fortunately, the snake was found and returned to its aquarium with extra cinder blocks on the top to keep it inside. My neighbors didn't visit me.

To supplement our meager income, I got a job and we were able to locate a house in the country in which to move ourselves and our growing menagerie. The house was crummy, but beggars cannot be choosers. It was at the house that my husband decided to become an entrepreneur. He formed the Suwanee Zoological Society and the spare bedroom became home to caged rattlesnakes, pythons, cobras, copperheads, lizards, and anything else he could get his hands on. If I try really hard, I can conjure up memories in that house that nightmares are made of. One in particular was when I was sleeping and heard a noise out of the ordinary. I got out of bed and went into the hallway to the door of the spare bedroom housing all the critters. Like hundreds of other times, I opened the door and reached in and turned on the light switch. The first thing that caught my eye was the overturned cages on the bedroom floor. My next move made my heart stop and all the blood drained out of my head. I looked up from the floor and turned my head slightly and came face to face (within probably two inches) with a boa constrictor. Apparently, he had escaped from his cage and in so doing, knocked over anything it slithered over. Slowly backing away and closing the door shut, I went back to bed and slowly pulled the covers off my husband and then with a heavy handed slap in the middle of the back, woke him up. For the next few days, I was finding baby snakes all over the house, some were harmless, some were poisonous.

My best friend was not phased by our strange habitat and she visited frequently. On a whim, we decided to cook dinner for the gang. Bustling around the kitchen, we gathered our ingredients and cooking utensils to make the dinner. She was unable to locate a particular size pot in a bottom cabinet. I told her I would find it and reached into the cabinet and again experienced another heart-stopping moment when I realized my arm was hovering above the head of a coiled rattlesnake. Knowing well enough not to make a sudden move, I slowly backed out and when I knew I was out of range began yelling for my husband. Hearing the panic in my voice, he made haste to the kitchen and focused his attention to where I was pointing my finger. With a sigh of relief, he said, "So that's where it has been hiding."

The house we lived in was in need of much work. The kitchen was probably the worst room as it needed new linoleum, new wallpaper as what was in it was busy and hideous, and the ceiling had a hole in it leading to the attic. The hole was covered with a heavy piece of butcher paper. It was from this point that a six inch baby cobra dangled and it was I who noticed this anomaly. Again, summoning immediate help, my husband walked into the room and carefully pulled the little poisonous snake from the ceiling. Looking at me with the utmost sincerity said, "I was going to tell you about losing this snake."

Snake hunting expeditions took my husband and his buddies away for days at a time. For the most part, I was only at the house for a few hours each night because I was working two jobs. All I wanted was a shower and a few hours sleep before the next shift started. The times when I was at the house alone usually did not bother me, except for one. A recently acquired addition to the animal inventory was a Gila monster, which is a very dangerous reptile. I instructed to feed the animal...carefully. Honestly, I did try, but it lunged and scared me to death. The Gila monster did not get its supper that night and it apparently was upset with me. Although it was in a cage in a closed off bedroom, it was making a terrible racket by banging up against the cage and making threatening guttural noises. I couldn't afford to go to a motel and I had nowhere else to go, but I was determined not to stay in the same house with this creature; so I got my blanket and my pillow and slept in the car for the next two nights.

One day a package arrived at the house from a fellow reptile lover. Tokay geckos were supposed to be in the box, but we were not sure how many. The tape was carefully cut and the outside packing was peeled away. The lid was lifted off of the box and in a split second, hundreds of Tokay geckos escaped and ran at lighting speed in every direction. They are speedy little lizards. For the duration of our stay in that house, we were finding Tokay geckos everywhere. Our neighbors, who were not especially fond of our being there, reported geckos in their homes, too. It wasn't totally a bad thing because they loved to eat roaches and palmetto bugs (which were in abundance) and spiders, which I despise. It was unnerving, however, to be lying in bed and feeling the scurrying lizard run across the covers or be awakened out of a deep sleep with their croaking. The reason they are called Tokay geckos is because that is what they actually say, 'Toe-Kay', over and over again.

My most memorable moment of self-awareness in that I was living in a mad house was on one of those days my husband was out on a reptile hunting expedition. I was home alone and it was pouring down rain, a real gully washer. A pickup truck drove up and a man with a large plastic garbage can stood on my doorstep. I answered the door and he asked if this is where someone bought snakes. I said, "yes, but you will have to come back later." He said he couldn't, he had a big rattlesnake and if we did not want it, he would go elsewhere. Well, I had witnessed my husband toting a sack containing snakes hundreds of times. I didn't see the harm of giving the guy money and me putting the snake, still in the bag, in the "snake room" until my husband got home. Well, this particular snake was not in a bag. The man was wanting me to put the snake in a bag. When he took the top off the trash can, all I saw was a humongous body of the largest rattlesnake I had ever seen. "No way, man," I said. He was actually angry that I wouldn't take the snake off his hands and pay him money. He said a few choice words and left with his snake. When my husband returned, I recounted the event to him. His response was, "Are you crazy?...Do you know how much money that snake would bring?" Did I feel foolish because my priorities were not straight? No. This was the beginning of the end of our four year marriage.

Snakes have generally been associated with the jungle but they can really make good pets if handled properly. However, taking care of a pet snake is completely different with other pets such as dogs or cats. They demand that you keep them in good conditions and proper diet for them to make a good pet. You should be acquainted with all the specifics about taking care of a pet snake before you make the decision to have one in your homestead.

Make sure that you put your snake in a glass cage that is bigger enough for the ease of its maneuver. Other features to include in a glass cage are a good lighting system and good temperature control. There should also be a rock and a water bowl. Taking care of your snake will require providing meat food such as rats and mice. For most snakes, make sure the rodents are dead because some rodents might attack and even harm or kill your pet snake. Remember snakes fall under the category of carnivorous and will be advisable that you feed them meat at least twice a week.

Snakes shed skins after every three months and so you should ensure you take care of your pet snake by providing a frequent supply of water in the bowl for it to soak in. Ensure that you take your pet gets veterinary attention at least once a year for a checkup. Take care of your pet snake by ensuring that you clean its abode at least once per week.