Ribbon Snake
By Rkwright
14 Mar, 2014
2 likes
Probably the most commonly seen snake around here, this one is crossing a bike path.
Comments on this photo
it does stand out a bit! is it venomous/dangerous to people?
15 Mar, 2014
The biggest danger is Salmonella from handling it. Ribbon Snakes excrete a liquid that smells terrible and they will bite but often times the bite is not very painful and only on occasion has a bite from one of these made me bleed. It's a species of garter snake, so overall they are pretty harmless.
15 Mar, 2014
same with adders over here - bite is enough for its prey, not for people unless they have a weak heart, and then it's often the shock more than the actual bite that does the damage.
Their slime coating sounds like a very good defence! but there must be something that doesn't mind it - they must have a natural predator to keep the numbers in balance.
16 Mar, 2014
Oh my, no thank you! :((
14 Mar, 2014