Venomous Snakes Are Coming to Maymont!
Many snakes are killed each year by people who are afraid of them or mistake them for being poisonous; but of 35 different species of snakes in Virginia, only 3 are venomous (and one of them is a state endangered species!). So which ones are harmless and of which ones do you need to steer clear?
Maymont invites you to see them for yourself! Beginning Saturday, November 2nd, all three venomous species: the Northern Copperhead, Eastern Cottonmouth and the Timber Rattlesnake, are going to be in a new permanent exhibit at Maymont’s Nature Center.
We were lucky to have a chance to chat with Buz Bireline, the Director of Habitats, about the new exhibit.
RM: What made you decide to bring these venomous “s-words” to Maymont?
BB: We wanted a new exhibit and we really felt that there was a great need for people to learn how to identify venomous snakes in Virginia. It seems every week someone is telling me about how they killed a snake, and probably 90% of those are due to misidentification. So, they are killing a non-venomous snake or a harmless animal. We want people to appreciate the animals; even animals that are disliked by some folks, can still do a lot of good for the ecology of the area. Ultimately, what we want is for people not to kill snakes, so we wanted to create an educational resource here to help people understand that even venomous snakes are really not interested in humans. So unless you provoke one you really have nothing to worry about.
RM: What is the biggest misperception about snakes?
BB: That they are evil. Snakes are certainly a lot different than fuzzy creatures that we are used to; they have no limbs and hang out at night which gives them a bad rap, I guess. But really they are incredibly beautiful, unique and unusual animals that deserve just as much respect as our baby whitetailed deer or any other mammals.
RM: Which one of 3 venomous snakes are we likely to see in the Richmond area? Should we be looking out for all three? In which case, I may have to move.
BB: The Northern Copperhead in Central Virginia, this is the only one you are going to find in the Richmond area so really, less than 9% of all snakes in Virginia are venomous. And they are still pretty harmless unless you are a rodent.
RM: If we see a snake we believe is venomous, what is the best thing to do?
BB: First thing, identify it right. Get familiar with colorations and patterns of, really, all the snakes in Central Virginia. One other great place to look is the Virginia Herpetological Society and they have a great facebook page as well. As far as
venomous snakes, look at the pupil of the snake, all of the venomous snakes in Virginia have eyes that are elliptical like a cat eye and the head shape is angular like a triangle, even as a baby. Then, leave it alone. Enjoy it from a safe distance. Usually it’s out in the woods and really isn’t going to harm you.
RM: For those of us who are into this kinda thing *shudder* will visitors be able to see the snakes during feeding time?
BB: The snakes will be fed off exhibit. It’s actually safer for me to feed them off the exhibit, so that way when I open the door to manipulate the animal, they are not waiting to strike right away.
RM: Now I’m going to ask the hard-hitting question here: Did you give them pet names?
BB: Not as of yet, we did, in one of our big fund raisers, auction off the naming rights to one of the animals. So at least one of the snakes will be named soon.
See Virginia’s venomous snakes at the NatureCenter open 10am – 5pm, Tuesday through Sunday. Admission to the NatureCenter is $3 for 13 and up, $2 for children ages 4-12 and seniors 60+ , free for Maymont members and children under age 4. Visit Maymont’s website for more information.
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