These snakes eat fish, amphibians, lizards, snakes, birds, and rodents. Two to 15 young are born per breeding couple between August and September. They are active from April to November, and even at night in the hotter months. The Cottonmouth will be most often found in a variety of wetlands, from swamps and oxbow lakes to sloughs and drainage ditches and streams. Adults average 24 to 36 inches in length. The young are brightly banded like a Copperhead, but turn darker with age, with tail tips that are yellow to greenish-yellow. The Cottonmouth's belly is mottled with black or brown and cream-colored blotches. Their upper lip also is white, and they have a black stripe from snout to neck. These heavy-bodied snakes are olive-brown to black and their dark crossbands are barely noticeable until they are wet. They open their white-lined mouth when threatened. Western Diamondback RattlesnakeĪlso known as the Water Moccasin, the Cottonmouth is found statewide in Arkansas, but they are not very common in the upland streams of the Ozark Highlands and the Ouachita Mountains, according to the "Arkansas Snake Guide." Here are the state's six venomous snakes, and what to know about them. A list of company's that handle snakes are listed by county under the Arkansas Nuisance Wildlife Control Operators tab. Those who find a snake and need it removed from their home may call a nuisance animal service recommended by the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission at. In cases where the snake may be near a home or where it could cause a threat to people, you can call someone who is trained to handle and relocate these animals safely and humanely.” “Aside from the legal issue, getting close enough to kill or move the snake puts you in danger. “It’s just a good idea to know which ones are harmful and let them have their space,” Monday said. However, serious injury, including loss of a body part is more common. On average, less than six of those people die from the bite. There are about 7,000 people who are bitten by a venomous snake a year in the United States. And if you’re close enough to tell what kind of pupil they have, you’re probably getting too close to the snake.” “That may be true for Rattlesnakes, Copperheads, and Cottonmouths, but the Coral Snake which is a venomous snake native to Arkansas has round pupils. “A common misconception is that all venomous snakes have slit or ‘cat’s eye’ pupils,” Monday said. Lori Monday, a regional educator for the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission, says some of the old standby methods of identifying venomous snakes can mislead people and even put them at unnecessary risk. It is illegal to kill a venomous snake in Arkansas unless it is a direct threat because there is no hunting season for snakes in the state. While most kinds of snakes in Arkansas are non-venomous, there are six venomous snakes that need to be left alone. As the weather warms up and people become more active outdoors, so do snakes.
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