SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) – We\u2019re in lake season. For many of you, that means diving into the water. And there\u2019s the worry that slithery creatures could be hiding inside some of the flood debris. Our viewer, Jennifer, is worried about snakes in that cool water. She says, How can we tell if a snake is harmful?<\/p>\n
If a snake is near the water, there\u2019s a fear it\u2019s a cottonmouth. The Missouri Department of Conservation<\/a> tells us that a cottonmouth tends to swim higher in the water than many other snakes. They often have their head and part of their body above the surface. <\/p>\n We\u2019re told non-venomous water snakes typically swim with most of their bodies submerged. For the most part, if you\u2019re splashing and making noise, snakes will want to stay away. So don\u2019t let fear of snakes keep you indoors. <\/p>\n \u201cGeneral rule of thumb, snakes don\u2019t want to be around you, so most of the time, I\u2019ll say practically all of the time, snakes would rather be away from you than around you,\u201d explained Francis Skalicky of MDC<\/a>. \u201cSo, you know, avoid the snake and the snake will avoid you. And as I said, I know everybody has their stories, and I\u2019m not saying any of those stories did not happen. But those are aberrations. General rule of thumb, most of the time, snakes do not want to be around you.\u201d <\/p>\n Some other things to know, venomous snakes in Missouri have a pit located between the eye and nostrils on each side of the head. The pupils of venomous snakes appear as vertical slits. <\/p>\n And while we\u2019ve talked about cottonmouths because they\u2019re typically found near water, the most common venomous snake in Missouri is the copperhead. <\/p>\n If you get bitten, try to take a picture of the snake with your phone and seek medical attention. The photo will help the medical staff determine whether the snake is venomous. Keep in mind that even if a bite is from a non-venomous snake, the bite can still get infected. <\/p>\n If you have a question for Fact Finders, submit it here<\/a>. <\/p>\n