These Venomous Snakes May Slither Along With You On Spring Outings

This story was updated in 2025.

We don’t mean to alarm you. But as you’re basking in the spring sunshine, several species of snakes could be joining you on your walks, jobs and hikes.

We would launch straight into the defense of snakes as star players in the ecosystem, but we know many of you who can’t abide them at all would swipe right faster than an innocuous little garter snake can slither into the sun on a fine spring day.

Even if you think snakes are the worst, there are some things you need to know about coexisting with them as they awake from their refreshing winter brumation (in the reptile world, that’s the equivalent of hibernation).

During the daytime, you are more likely to come across snakes, including the ones mentioned, when the temperature is consistently around 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Similar to humans, snakes seek sunlight to warm their bodies after winter, which increases the chances of encountering them on trails, in the woods, or almost anywhere. Remember that time a copperhead showed up near the National Mall?

The Deadliest Snakes

About 8,000 people are bitten by snakes every year, whether because their jobs take them outside or because they want to shake off winter, according to the CDC. Most snakes are harmless, but even those bites can cause an infection or allergic reaction.

About 90 percent of the 150 species of snake found in the United States are harmless. The 10 deadliest snakes in North America include copperheads, found throughout the eastern and central United States; cottonmouths/water moccasins, which like to hide in water throughout the Southeast and in the coastal plains north to Virginia; Eastern coral snakes, found throughout the Southeast; and rattlesnakes.

The Eastern diamondback rattlesnake, the largest species of rattler anywhere in the world, is the most venomous of snakes in North America. It is found primarily in the pinelands of Florida, the coastal plains of North Carolina, and from southern Mississippi through eastern Louisiana.

Other rattler species to be aware of:

• Timber rattlesnake, found from eastern Kansas, Texas, Iowa and central Wisconsin to Georgia, the Carolinas, West Virginia, western Virginia, Pennsylvania and New England;
• Black rattlesnake, found widely across the western half of North America, from British Columbia to northern Mexico; the
• Tiger rattlesnake, found along the Arizona-Mexico border;
• Western diamondback rattlesnake, found throughout the Southwest;
• Prairie rattlesnake, found in the Great Plains from Canada to Mexico; and
• Mojave rattlesnake (the most venomous rattlesnake in the world), found in the desert Southwest.

What To Do If You Get Bit

If you're in an area where snakes are present, it’s important to have a plan for emergency medical assistance — a good idea whenever you’re enjoying the outdoors. And make sure you have a fully stocked first aid kit, including a snakebite kit. Be skeptical of consumer snakebite kits, according to the Snakebite Foundation, an international group of physicians, paramedics and scientists who treat snakebite patients.

Snake bites are a medical emergency and require immediate attention. If someone is bitten, call 911 right away. Keep the person calm and still to slow the spread of venom. It’s important to ensure that the site of the bite is below the level of the heart. Wash the wound with warm, soapy water and cover it with a clean, dry dressing from the first aid kit. Remember, seeking prompt medical treatment is crucial in case of a snake bite.

A World Without Snakes …

Snakes are unlikely to win a popularity contest, but most of the antipathies surrounding snakes are guided by ignorance and myths.

About 12 percent of the world’s snake species across the world are currently threatened in the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species.

However, it is important to note that the Red List does not provide an accurate measure of snakes’ conservation status because most reptile species have not yet been evaluated. This information comes from Save the Snakes, a non-profit organization located in Sacramento, California, that is dedicated to the conservation of snakes.

Although snakes are often associated with danger, they play a crucial role in balancing the ecosystem. If all the venomous snakes suddenly disappeared, the population of rodents could grow uncontrollably, leading to an increase in diseases such as the bubonic plague.

This deadly disease has killed millions of people in Europe during the Middle Ages and although it is treatable, it has never been completely eliminated, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Humans typically get the plague when they’re bitten by a flea that is carrying the plague bacterium or by handling an animal infected with the plague.

Also important to know about snakes: Some medications used to treat diabetes and heart disease have been derived from venom produced by snakes and other venomous creatures.

There’s No Call To Kill Snakes

Encounters with snakes are usually brief. According to the Georgia State University Cooperative Extension Service, there is generally no need to kill snakes, even if they are causing problems, such as when they are found around chicken coops, where they may prey on young chicks and eggs.

They’re also likely to inhabit crawl spaces and attics, very often without the homeowner even knowing. Getting rid of them in these spaces can be extraordinarily difficult because they find hiding spaces in insulation and hard-to-get-to spaces. The first step should be to isolate what is attracting them — rats and mice are a good bet — and then seal off all except the main entry point with caulk or wire mesh.

If the main entry point is a vent hole, install a one-way excluder door over the main entrance to allow the snake to exit once the food source has been eliminated, Georgia State Extension advised

If you happen to come across a snake inside your living quarters, try to put an empty bucket over it, then slide a piece of heavy cardboard beneath it to trap it. You can then carry it outside. If this doesn't work, you may try to herd it outside using a broom.

However, if it's a venomous snake found outdoors, you should remove it, but that doesn't necessarily mean you have to kill it. Keep your distance if the snake is just passing through, but if it's near your house or barn, it's best to consult a qualified nuisance-removal specialist. It's crucial to note that several snakebites have occurred while trying to remove venomous snakes.

Snakes Do Stuff You Can’t Unsee

One of the rites of spring on social media is the roll-out of a photo showing a gigantic “garter snake mating ball.”

What’s that?

It’s the entanglement of about 100 male red-sided garter snakes pursuing a single female who is “desperately trying” to get away, according to environmental documentary photographer Paul Colangelo, whose captured photos of the snake orgy for National Geographic.

Breeding ball behavior is most common among garter snakes. Black rattlesnakes in Arizona do it, too, according to a paper written by a couple of biology students at Reed University in Portland, Oregon.

It’s possible to see a group of red-sided garter snakes getting frisky in the spring. If your kids ask, just tell them it’s a “snake cuddlefest.” It’s not wrong.

And that’s a thing you know now.