One of many nice qualities about living in Oregon, is its non-poisonous snakes, well all but one!
Western Rattlesnake – Photo By Gary Stolz, U.S. Fish & Wildlife/Wikimedia
Snakes are beneficial to gardeners, they eat mice, voles, rats, slugs, Japanese beetle grubs and other gardening pests. Only one snake species in Oregon can harm humans, and that is the venomous Western Rattlesnake.
The Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife (ODFW) reported, “there are two sub-species of the Western Rattlesnake in Oregon, the Northern Pacific subspecies, found in southwestern Oregon, in the middle and southern Willamette Valley, as well as the Columbia Plateau. The Great Basin subspecies is found in Oregon’s south central areas and the southeastern region. ”
ODFW says Gopher Snakes (Pituophis catenifer) are often mistaken for Rattlesnakes, because Gopher Snakes shake their tail, hiss and strike out with their head, but Gopher Snakes are not venomous, nor do they have rattles on their tails. Other snakes in Oregon are also harmless to humans and they are beneficial to the environment, too.
Gopher snake – Photo by Julia Larson/Wikimedia
Oregon snakes:
- Gopher Snake (Pituophis catenifer)
- Western rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis)
- California Mountain Kingsnake (Lampropeltis zonata)
- Common Kingsnake (Lampropeltis getula)
- Northwestern Garter snake (Thamnophis ordinoides)
- Pacific Coast Aquatic Garter snake (Thamnophis atratus)
- Common Garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis)
- Racer snake (Coluber constrictor)
- Western Terrestrial Garter snake (Thamnophis elegans)
- Ground snake (Sonora semiannulata)
- Striped whipsnake (Coluber taeniatus)
- Sharp-tailed snake (Contia tenuis)
- Ring-necked snake (Diadophis punctatus)
- Night snake (Hypsiglena chlorophaea)
- Rubber Boa (Charina bottae)
Rubber Boa – photo by USDA Forest Service
To learn more about Oregon’s snakes, click on the links below:
http://www.oregonlive.com/outdoors/index.ssf/2015/06/meet_the_snakes_of_oregon.html
Download Oregon’s Fish & Wildlife Brochure … Oregon_Living With Snakes pdf
By: Carlotta Lucas