Venomous Snakes on our Central Texas Trails
Spring and early summer mean more snakes out to play! According to TPWD we have 4 venomous snakes in and around our Austin trails. While the drier more elevated areas will provide a more conducive habitat for Rattlesnakes, the wetter and more wooded areas provide nice places for Water Moccasins and Copperheads or Cottonmouth snakes. Remember that snakes aren’t typically out to get you, they are beneficial, so please don’t go killing everyone you see.
Rattlesnakes are around our trails especially as things heat up. I tend to hear of more people seeing rattlesnakes over near Travis Country or the west portion of the Barton Creek Greenbelt. So, even though I haven’t seen one out there, I try to be a little more aware when I am out that way. We have had plenty of our trail runners see rattlesnakes here however.
Copperheads tend to blend well into trees and their surrounding. This Copperhead swam up near us while Wyatt and Jacque and I were trying to go swimming in a portion of Bull Creek near St Edwards trail. This was the first Copperhead I have seen in Austin since living here for 15 years.
Coral Snakes aren’t seen as much as some of the other venomous snakes. They have a small mouth and according to Texas Park and Wildlife bites are fairly uncommon, however very serious. The color scheme for a Coral snake is Red, Yellow, Black. You’ve all heard the saying, “Red and yellow, kill a fellow,” and “Red and black is a friend of Jack.” According to the Texas Standard, no one in Texas has died from a coral snake bite since antivenin was produced in the 1960’s.
Water moccasins/ or Cottonmouth snakes are fairly common in Austin. I’ve seen plenty swimming through the greenbelt, and am fortunate enough to not have gotten too close. While water Moccasins are said to be aggressive, they actually don’t bite more often. They just tend to stand their ground rather than flee according to texasstandard.org.
So remember to keep an eye out for these guys while running in our Central Texas trails. While they can catch you off guard while you catch your breath, its pretty cool and kinda rare to see them. If you are interested in learning about other non-venomous snakes in central Texas check out Tex A&M Agrilife website!