Murray rushed the dogs to a nearby vert where both are expected to make a full recovery. That’s where Robert Murray’s dogs - Tanner and Listo - were bitten last week. Timbers can be found in a small section of the northwest corner of Connecticut and along the eastern side of the Connecticut River in the central part of the state. Hess estimates the population is down in the hundreds in two small parts of the state. Killings and loss of habitat have driven the timber rattlesnake to the state’s endangered list. And in brush or dry leaves, that could lead to misidentification.ĭEEP reports hundreds of snakes are killed every year because of misidentification. Many of the non-venomous varieties have similar tail twitching responses to ward off predators. Some of that misidentification comes from the tail-twitching rattle that gives the timber and its relatives their name. A pattern that somewhat resembles other snakes.” Most of the time it’s a milk snake or a juvenile rat snake. They might think it’s a rattlesnake or a copperhead or something like that. “We frequently have people let us know they’ve seen a snake they might be concerned about. “There’s a lot of misidentification that can happen with snakes,” Hess said. More still are killed because of mistaken identity. Some are even illegally harvested for trade. Development has decimated habitat for many snakes and lots are lost to road mortality. Humans, it turns out, are a far greater threat to snakes than vice versa. Department of Energy and Environmental Protectionĭeep has resources online to help identify the serpentine varietals, but Hess said you can always snap a photo and post it to the DEEP’s fish and wildlife Facebook page. Timber rattlesnakes are one of two venomous snake species in Connecticut. But even the few venomous snakes around should be left alone. Misidentification of snakes has led to people needlessly killing some, according to DEEP. Hess said the best thing to do if you see a snake in the wild is to give it some space. Snake bites are so rare in the state that DEEP doesn’t track them. “As any stories as you might hear of rattlesnakes chasing people down, those are, to a great degree, apocryphal.” “Snakes aren’t going to go out of their way to attack,” Hess said. And unless provoked -or you’re in their natural food chain - snakes are also pretty docile. They can also serve as food for birds of prey around the state. They can help control rodent populations and eliminate tick carrying mice. Hess said snakes, while not often seen, are incredibly important to the state’s native ecosystem. Snakes, in all situations, are going to see humans or a dog as a predator and try to defend against it.” “Almost all unpleasant or less-than-ideal interactions people have with snakes come from a snake trying to defend itself. “They’re legitimately no threat to people,” Hess said.
0 kommentar(er)
