Lots of inquires about the slaty-grey snake today, after an Australian teenager awoke overnight to find one slithering around her neck. News outlets are reporting the 16-year-old girl was bitten, ran to her parents for help and was told to go back to bed. Apparently, they didn't believer her because she has a creepy-crawler phobia. Ah, teenagers.
Luckily for her, her brother-in-law "tracked down the snake and whacked it on the head with part of a door frame, almost decapitating the creature," according to FOX News. The girl was taken to the hospital, treated and released. Slaty-greys (Stegonotus cucullatus) are not poisonous.
Could this happen to you? Not on Long Island, as the species isn't found in New York (or North America, for that matter.) But lots of snakes are.
So you find a snake. Do you panic? How can you tell whether it's poisonous? Easy. Just look into its eyes: Venomous snakes have eliptical pupils, which explains why evil creatures in horror films are always depicted with those kinds of eyes. Nonvenomous snakes have round pupils, like us.
You'll also notice a pit between the eye and nostril of venomous snakes, and if you can get close enough to turn one over (not recommended) you'll notice the underside of the tail has undivided scales, whereas nonvenomous snakes have divided scales.
Here's a handy diagram from the Cornell Cooperative Extension:
EXCEPTION: Coral snakes, which are poisonous, have round pupils (see comments posted below) Since you can't rely on their eyes for identification, here's a photo, should you ever find yourself face-to-face with one:
USGS photo
Comments (2)
I believe the coral snake, that is a native snake & very venomous, has round pupils.
Hi, Ed.
You're absolutely right! I guess they escaped my attention because they don't have a presence here on Long Island. But after poking around a bit tonight, I learned that there is one exception to the venomous-eye rule, and it's coral snakes. That's because they're the only poisonous sn akes that aren't pit vipers. Here's a description from the NEWTON BBS, operated by the Division of Educational Programs (DEP) of Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois:
"With the exception of coral snakes, all other North American poisonous snakes - rattlesnakes, copperheads and cottonmouths - are pit vipers. Pit vipers do have vertical pupils, while most other snakes have round pupils. Coral snakes are NOT pit vipers, and have round pupils, and while the snakes are small their venom is very potent."
I wouldn't want anyone to mistake one of these as harmless because of their pupils, so I'm posting a photo above.
Thanks for writing!