NONVENOMOUS SNAKES
1. Head usually oval, but may be somewhat triangular.
2. Pupils round.
3. No pits-only nostrils present.
4. Divided scales on underside of tail
5. Although many snakes vibrate their tail when upset, nonvenomous snakes
never have rattles
|
VENOMOUS SNAKES
1. Head distinctly triangular.
2. Pupils elliptical.
3. Pits as well as nostrils present.
4. Undivided scales on underside of tail.
5. Except for the copperhead, tail ends in a rattle. |
|
Although recorded in 17 Ohio counties,
the secretive massasauga swamp rattlers are widely scattered. They are
rarely seen except where they are fairly common, in places such as Killdeer
Plains and Mosquito Creek wildlife areas. Originally, these rattlers probably
inhabited the scattered prairies of glaciated Ohio, but extensive farming
has drastically reduced their numbers. Colonies still persist in bogs,
swamps, and wet prairies within glaciated Ohio. Few, however, are found
in Lake Erie marshes. During summer these rattlers range upland into nearby
drier areas in search of small rodents.
|
