The Difference Between Venomous and Non-Venomous & How to Spot the Difference

                     

 Put into simpler terms, venomous simply means that the snake carries venom and has the ability to inject it in a victim or prey, a non-venomous simply means that they have no venom inside their bodies and cannot inject it inside of you or its prey. Venomous bites need to be taken care of immediately or it can result in loss of limbs, or even death if not taken care of right away. Non-venomous bites however are treated differently and still may require medical attention, however, you are more than likely just going to have to clean it and take care of it as you would any other cut or wound on your body. It is also important to know how to identify a venomous versus non-venomous snake for many reasons. One of them being as I stated above you must know how to treat a snakebite based on its venomous or non venomous nature. In the United States, there are only four types of venomous snakes. These snakes are rattlesnakes, copperheads, cotton mouths(also known as water moccasins), and coral snakes. Each year more than 7000 Americans are bitten by one of the snakes. The bites often are a result of individuals attempting to handle or kill the snake, which we will go over that topic later on.  many factors can be used to determine whether a snake is venomous or nonvenomous such as behavior, head shape, and pupils. 

Behaviors- 

One of the most well-known behavior traits can be observed in the rattlesnake. When threatened, rattlesnakes make shake the rattle on their tail to create a loud clicking sound as a warning to potential predators. Be aware that not all rattlesnakes have rattles and this is not a reliable warning to use when identifying a snake. 

Head-

Venomous snakes have distinct triangle shaped heads and non-venomous snakes have rounded distinct heads. The shape of a venomous snakes head is used to scare off predators, however some non-venomous snakes mimic the triangle head by flattening their heads and this helps them to scare off prey. Rattlesnakes, Copperheads, cotton mouth, and coral snakes are all considered pit vipers. This means that the venomous snakes are distinguished by the "pits" or holes on their heads. Each snake has two pits that appear on their snouts and allow them to detect infrared radiation from pray. It is never a safe idea if you are not familiar with snakes to try to identify a pit viper from a close distance. Consider contacting a wildlife expert to identify the best steps to take next.

Pupils-

Another method that can be used to identify venomous versus non-venomous snakes is that like a cat’s-eye poisonous snakes have thin, black, vertical pupils and they are surrounded by a yellow green eye. Non-venomous snakes all have rounded pupils. This is a classification that can only be observed by up close and must be done by a wildlife professional. Never attempt to identify a snake by its peoples without proper training.

In conclusion, it is important to know these things because you never know when you’re going to come across a situation where you're faced with a snake. Having this knowledge can mean the difference between life or death and can also prevent the life of an innocent snake from being taken. Because remember, the only good snake is an alive snake!

Sources-

https://www.terminix.com/blog/education/how-to-tell-if-a-snake-is-poisonous/

https://survivalistgear.co/how-to-tell-snake-poisonous-venomous/