Shy and delicate.
Two words you might not associate with snakes. But that’s exactly how Gary Geiler, a lifelong snake enthusiast who is also known as u/serpentarian on Reddit, describes them.
Geiler has spent most of his life studying snakes, searching for them in the wild, and educating Austinites on how to react if they encounter one.
There’s a good chance you will see a snake this summer. Wetter conditions brought on by the El Niño climate pattern that occurred this spring may lead to snakes being more active, Geiler said.
Tabitha Blewett, a reptile expert of 25 years, agrees. Blewett owns and operates Austin Reptile Service, where she teaches reptile safety classes and responds to calls for reptile rescue.
“It’s a pretty common time of year to see an uptick in snake sightings,” Blewett said.
Snake breeding season starts in April and lasts through October, or until it starts getting cold outside.
You’ll have your best luck (or worst, depending on your personality) at seeing a snake at dawn or dusk. During the day when summer temperatures reach near 100 degrees or higher, snakes are nestled in trees, buried underground or finding shade.
If you do see a snake in Central Texas, Blewett has good news.
“Out of all the calls and emails and texts I get asking for snake identification, it's very uncommon that I actually get pictures of venomous species,” she said.
But then there’s the not-so-good news. Snake identification isn’t as simple as you might’ve learned in middle school. Blewett advises against using the head or eye shape to single out a species or following any of the common nursery rhymes.
“Most of that stuff is not really applicable to any of our species,” she said.
Instead, you have to do it the hard way and familiarize yourself with the region’s breeds. There are nine most commonly seen in Central Texas. Let’s go over them.
First, the non-venomous types.
Texas rat snake
By far the most common type of snake found in Central Texas is the Texas rat snake. They’re also called the chicken snake because they love to eat eggs and are often found stealing from a chicken coop or bird's nest. They are great climbers and can scale buildings and trees.
Texas rat snakes are typically 4 feet long and have black skin that is sometimes dotted with yellow or orange.
Plain-bellied water snake
These snakes are about 3 feet long and can be brown with faint stripes across their bodies or a solid color gray-ish green. They are in every single water system in Travis County, Geiler said, and are often confused as a cottonmouth.
As for cottonmouths, Blewett said they aren't common in the Austin area.
“I've never seen one here in Travis County, but I get a lot of calls from people who think that they have seen one, and it has always been a water snake," she said. “They have never been recorded in Williamson County.”
Checkered garter snake
Garter snakes are small, ranging from around 12-18 inches long. They have brown skin with two long stripes that run from head to tail and a black checkered pattern on its back. Garter snakes like to eat fish and amphibians, so they are often found near ponds, streams and gardens.
Rough earth snake
These are small, brownish-gray snakes that range from 6-10 inches. They like to hang out in people's lawns and eat insects and worms.
Texas blind snake
Texas blind snakes don’t really look like snakes. You might confuse them for a big, silvery-pink worm. They spend most of their time underground, feeding on termites. Owls often pick them up, take them back to their nests, and use them to get rid of parasites that live on baby owls.
Western coachwhip
Coachwhips are long, thin, tan in color and have “gigantic judgy eyeballs,” Blewett said. They are built for speed, often found slithering through tall grass. They are called coachwhips because their tail resembles the braided whip used by stagecoaches.
Now, the venomous breeds. (Or the “danger noodles.”)
Coral snake
These snakes are about 2 feet long and have red, yellow and black bands. They are often found in gardens as they like to feed on lizards and smaller snakes, such as garters, that hang out in gardens. Blewett said if you think you’ve encountered a coral snake, you probably have, as there aren’t many similar-looking breeds in Central Texas.
Geiler said coral snakes are more common than you might wish they were, but they typically aren’t dangerous. While they are venomous, their small heads and short fangs usually keep them from inflicting serious wounds on people.
Western diamondback rattlesnake
The western diamondback ranges from 3 to 4 feet long. They have light brown skin with a dark brown and white diamond pattern on their backs. And, of course, there’s a rattle at the end of their tails.
Like most snakes, the western diamondback doesn’t like being around humans.
“When I see a rattlesnake, I see a very scared thing that’s saying ‘please don’t step on me, please don’t step on me,'” Geiler said.
But they can end up in your backyard in search of rodents and birds. Blewett and Geiler both recommend getting rid of any piles of wood or rocks and mowing tall grass that rodents like to live in to keep rattlesnakes away.
Broad-banded copperhead
Broad-banded copperheads range from 2 to 3 feet long and have light tan and orange bands. Blewett says they aren’t common in Travis County, but it's not unheard of to see them.
If you do encounter a snake, Geiler and Blewett offer similar advice.
If you come across a confirmed nonvenomous snake on your property, the best thing to do is just leave it be.
If you think it may be venomous, stay calm. Snakes are only dangerous if you go near them, and most snake bites occur because a person is trying to kill it.
Either leave them be or call someone like Blewett or Austin Wildlife Control, and they will remove it for you.
