It's amazing how little some people in the "information age." When it comes to snakes, I wish people, especially here in the United States, could understand one simple thing. As far as native venomous snakes go, there are only really four "kinds," Rattlesnakes, Coral snakes, Cottommouths (Water Moccasins), and Copperheads. There are basically four "kinds" of snakes to learn if someone wants to stay safe outside, and the rest of the native snakes, being nonvenomous, aren't a threat to humans.
I bring this up because of how many people I meet that are terrified of all snakes. The vast majority of snakes here are harmless to people, and there is no need to kill them. The one in the photos here with our daughter is a Black Rat Snake. No native species here in the US that is a long, slender, black snake is venomous. That makes it kind of easy to realize that while a snake like this may still bite if threatened, it is not dangerous to humans.
Too often people are terrified when they see my children hold wild snakes. They only do so when we give them permission, and the snakes are nonvenomous. My children understand a lot about snakes and snake identification, and we'd rather not raise them with an irrational fear of every slithering creature. Enjoy the photos!
