There are actually far fewer venomous snakes than you’d think, especially in the United States of America, but the ones that are venomous sure do pack quite the powerful punch. Not all snakes inject venom — the snakes that you would class as venomous — but they do all have the potential to be quite vicious. This is especially the case if they feel threatened or attacked, which they are going to do if you get too close. They don't know that you are just a wandering human, accidentally passing them. They will think that you are a predator though, being much bigger than they are and probably able to overcome them. If they can’t slither away fast enough, they will fight. Many snakes give off a warning signal or two before they do this, however.
The typical rattlesnake is the venomous snake that we have all become accustomed to, one that gives off a rattling sound with its tail right before it goes in for the strike. Other snakes will inflate their heads or stand up, making themselves look as large and as intimidating as possible. If you know that you live in an area that is rife with snakes, particularly venomous ones, we would definitely recommend educating yourself a little so that you can avoid nasty conflicts. For the record, conflicts tend to happen a lot when dog walkers are out with their pampered pooches. The dog sniffs something out and gets all excited about it, the human then goes to investigate, finds out it’s a snake, but finds out a little too late, getting bitten in the process. If you are this dog walker and you don't know one species of snake from another, you won't know whether or not you have been bitten by a venomous snake. Whether you think you know or not, we would always advise that you seek medical attention for any wild animal bite, but definitely bites from snakes. Some snakes look very similar, so venomous and non-venomous species can be almost identical and, therefore, easily confused.
Most of the venomous snakes are not actually found in the United States at all, and out of the two thousand PLUS species of snake on the planet, fewer than twenty prevent or so of them are actually known to be venomous. Far fewer are venomous enough to inflict serious damage to the average adult human.
There are ways to tell venomous snakes and non-venomous snakes apart, but even the well-trained eye can be confused between the two for a split second. That split second is all it takes for these fast-moving reptiles to bite you, and one bite could be enough to kill you in some cases. Getting close to these beasts just isn’t worth the risk.
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