The signs of—and treatment for—snake bites.
The vast majority of snake bites are not venomous. They may hurt, but they are not going to kill you.
No snake actually wants to bite you. You are way too big to eat. They bite only to defend themselves if provoked, surprised, or disturbed—so avoid doing that.
There are only four common venomous snakes in North America, and only three in our area and the regions we usually hike (the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast U.S.).
Everyone on the Black Forest Trail summer hike is intimately familiar with these. They can grow about 3–4 feet long on average and have the longest fangs and most powerful venom of any North American rattlesnake.
Luckily, they have a built-in rattle warning system, so you usually hear them before you see them—and they rattle and feint a long time before they actually bite, so they are among the easiest to avoid or back away from.
Our Eastern rattlers are generally thicker and darker than the classic Western rattler you see in movies. They vary a lot, but often have a wedge-shaped head and yellowish or gray scales interrupted by bands of darker scales that undulate thick and thin (some look like rounded, butterfly-like blobs). Those darker bands are often “outlined” by lighter scales. The ones in Pennsylvania often have black tails. And yes: there is a rattle at the end of the tail.
These worry me the most: mottled browns, tans, blacks, and reddish-browns blend in with fallen leaves on purpose, because that is where these ambush predators wait for mice and small rodents.
I once almost stepped on one, coiled in leaves in the middle of a trail on a Scout trip—not deep in the woods, but at the trailhead along Tohickon Creek by the parking lot in Point Pleasant, Bucks County, where we often go for water crossings and rock climbing day trips.
The copperhead’s venom is among the weakest of our local pit vipers, and they may strike with little or no venom first if disturbed.
Two names for the same snake: one hints at habitat (around water), the other at its threat display. When threatened it may vibrate the tip of its tail, rear up, open its mouth to show a bright white lining, and hiss. That is your signal to give it space.
Like the copperhead, it is a pit viper. It ranges across much of the southeastern U.S., from Virginia to Florida and from southern Illinois and Indiana to Texas. (I had a memorable encounter while river tubing in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee.)
Cottonmouths are large—often about 2.5 to over 6 feet—and thick-bodied, and they swim well. Color is variable: many look mostly dark or black-on-black when wet or in shade; others are lighter sandy tans and browns.
Most common in the American Southeast (the Carolinas through Florida and Louisiana), Texas, and Arizona. Related species in Texas, Arkansas, and Arizona look similar enough that the same caution applies when we travel there.
A New World coral snake has a distinct banded pattern: wide red, thin yellow, wide black, thin yellow, repeating. The yellow may read as yellow-orange.
Harmless mimics can look similar, but they do not show red bands touching yellow bands. (For example, kingsnakes and scarlet snakes follow different band orders.) You still do not want any snake to bite you, so give all of them a wide berth.
Many venomous bites are “dry” (no venom injected) or inject only a small amount. That is not a reason to skip medical care if venom is possible, but it is a reason not to panic: staying calm and still is one of the best things you can do.