Posted by Anne Greene on August 25, 2006

Q: Dear Friend,

I found a small, thin, black snake with a single white band around its "neck." The snake was only about 8-10 inches long and pencil thin.

I saved this snake's life by removing it from inside a recreation center. I didn't know what kind of a snake it was so I kept some paper and a pencil between us. Meanwhile, a couple of the gym jocks wanted to kill it.

Do you have a good answer for people who say they are afraid of snakes and want to kill them?

Thanks for your help.

Anne Greene

Prince George's County, MD

Habitat: suburban/yard

State: Maryland

Habitat: suburban/yard

A: I applaud your respect for nature! Your snake was a totally harmless Northern Ringneck Snake (Diadophis punctatus). These beautiful little snakes never get very large (10-15") and eat a variety of small animals.

Unfortunately, there seems to be a "knee-jerk" reaction to snakes and people often feel the need to kill them on sight. I guess it's a bit macho too and your jocks displayed this behavior as you mentioned. Almost all of the snakes we come across are nonvenomous and actually a real asset to the environment - even the venomous ones are important. I try to point out to people that snakes are really our allies as they feed on a wide range of creepy crawlies and rodents. It's sad that widespread fear of snakes and a lack of information about them usually means people would rather kill them than live with them or learn about them. I've never known anyone who has been bitten by a venomous snake, let alone anyone who has died from a bite, but I know of many people who have died in car accidents and yet we all continue to drive and ride. Guess we need to have a bit of perspective about the dangers involved here but it's difficult to convince people of that. Thanks so much for sharing.

John Wiessinger ( August 26, 2006)