Snakes of Tennessee Unit Study????

[Pam B]

Does anyone have any thoughts on a snake unit study? I need to teach my two curious boys about snakes before I have one, or two less kids!

 

Instead of fishing, they want to go snake hunting. Well, that's fine. I get it. >BUT< (and a BIG BUT at that!) They need to KNOW what they are really doing!

 

They call me on the walkie talkie saying they found a snake! It, of course has fangs, and since they have it pinned down (for the moment) it is trying its best to snag one/both of them. Do they know what kind of snake they have? NO!!!!

 

So, see what I meamn about me needing to teach them about the creatures?!

 

It needs to be a study that is for THIS area. Not North America in general. There is too many species. They need to learn and learn quick!

 

We live in mid- to east TN. (Crossville, TN)

 

PLEASE HELP!

[yucabird]

Some while ago I read a self-published guide book which claimed most every snake in our area was poisonous (even snakes which were not). This and conversations with gardeners and local naturalists have me convinced that when it comes to snakes there is a lot of misinformation. I would suggest starting with a very good reference/identification book. If you are unsure what to purchase, e-mail the herpetology department in a local zoo. Someone should be able to offer suggestions; if you have no joy, try the herp department in a larger zoo.

[Kalmia]

Many snakes (poisonous and non) look alike. Some also look different when young versus old. Identification of snakes is very tricky. I would start with Peterson's Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern/Central North America, because this is the best reference for identification. The pics are small, but the key identifying features are clearly pointed out and described. Also in this guide pictures of the juveniles are shown.

 

Quick and not exhaustive list of things to look for: triangular head - probably poisonous; rattle - yup, poisonous; keeled scales (scales that have a raised line in the center like a keeled boat) - maybe poisonous.

 

Snakebite should be treated no matter if the animal is poisonous or not. Antibiotics may be necessary to prevent infection. Some snakes (water snakes) produce an anticoagulant and their bites bleed profusely.

 

Just in case, I'd send the boys out with an inexpensive digital camera. Have them take pictures of the snakes they catch, just in case they get bitten. You should then take the camera with you to the emergency room!

 

I love snakes, but after my son almost stepped on a yellow-phase timber rattlesnake and I couldn't identify it right away (the rattle end was hidden in the grass and I was under the impression that all the rattle snakes in our area are gray/black), I have worried over and over about what I would have done if he'd been bitten and the snake had slithered off without being identified. Would I have assumed it was a more common non-poisonous snake as timber rattlers are rare in our state? The thought gives me the shivers!

[Critterfixer]

Go right down to your local forest service ranger station and ask to speak to their herpetologist. Not only will your boys get to learn all they ever wanted to learn about snakes but it may cement in their minds better ways to handle the snakes they find.

In our house, I'm the one catching and bringing in the snakes for study. I love snakes!

In Tenn I think your main concerns are going to be the copperhead, (which is a pretty distinctive snake but can be confused with the cornsnake) and the eastern diamondback rattler. Also a pretty distinctive snake.

Also, just as a matter of precaution, there are people who are allergic to snake bites. For these individuals, a bite from a non-poisonous snake can be lethal.

Snakes don't always have lovely, clean mouths either. I treat on average about six snake bites every summer in dogs, and there is a real risk of infection with any animal bite.

[MorningGlory]

We do have quite a few species of snakes in TN, but there are only 4 species of venomous ones. Easy to learn! I would make sure that your sons can quickly and easily identify these...preferably from a distance. Some harmless snakes can look very much like the cottonmouth (water moccasin) or copperhead, but that shouldn't matter. Even a non-venomous snake bite is no laughing matter.

 

I second the suggestion to purchase or check out from the library a good field guide. We have several field guides at our house because they all have varying picture quality. National Audubon is our favorite. You may also find helpful information on the internet. Try this site:

http://www.tennsnakes.org/venomous_not.htm

 

And you might want to also remind your sons that it is illegal to harm, kill, or capture wild snakes in Tennessee. Obviously, this law is broken quite often, but it might be a good idea to make them aware of it.

 

HTH!

Jetta...in West TN

[QuirkyKidAcademy]

My son would be all over this! Can't wait to hear what you do.

[kolamum]

Pam.. few ideas.

 

1. Go to Homeschoolshare.com they have an entire unit study on snakes.

 

2. Teach them the Wiggles song "You can look, but you better not touch" in regards to snakes..

 

3. Locate a park ranger {check with Fall Creek Falls, Burgess Falls, Rock Island, etc. I honestly can't think of a state park in Crosseville at the moment} and ask them if they could do a talk about snakes with the children.

 

4. Consider a trip to the Knoxville Zoo, last time I was there {which was years and years and years ago} they had a reptile area. You could most likely contact them in advanced and get a zoo keeper to give your children a talk on snakes there as well.

 

On another note, be glad you don't live in a place where all the snakes are poisonous and it's really a matter of which one is less so then another. Good luck!

[Pam B]

Last night I did some research. I found that the snake they found and pinned, WAS venomous! :scared: It had fangs and was striking at them.

 

I told them and asked them how that made them feel. Youngest said it didn't make him feel that good. However, oldest said kinda good! :blink: I explained that we are 30 minutes (at best) from the ER and that's AFTER I get him into the truck! He would pretty much DIE before we got him any kind of help. We do live next to a sherrif but, don't bank on him being home!

 

>>>>He's asking me right now what I want them to do if they see it again- kill it?

 

:angry: WHAT?????? LEAVE IT ALONE!!!!! GO THE OTHER WAY!!!!!! <<<<

 

What? Do I have to BAN them from the woods now? We just bought this place- 11 acres for them to run free and play! COME ON!

 

(Deep breath) Okay, so in reply to the posts, I will be doing the unit study from homeschoolshare. I *really* appreciate everyone's help!

[plansrme]

Last night I did some research. I found that the snake they found and pinned, WAS venomous! :scared: It had fangs and was striking at them.

 

Enquiring minds want to know!

 

Have you googled pictures of snakebite wounds? I hear there are some pretty nasty pictures floating around on the internet. That might be enough to put a healthy fear of/respect for snakes in them.

 

And I would definitely call a local state park or your state's Department of Natural Resources. There is a ranger out there who would love to share this with your boys.

 

Terri

[Terabith]

I think at the very least you need to ground them from the woods for a period of time, while you do education. Pictures of snake bites, trips to the ranger station to talk with people, talk with a doctor.... It's ridiculous, but if they are going to go pinning snakes, they are not responsible to play in the woods. That is no trivial matter.

[Critterfixer]

He's asking me right now what I want them to do if they see it again- kill it?

Poisonous snakes have their own niche in the ecosystem. No killing! Besides all that, it is illegal in some states.

 

Remind them that if they had left that snake alone it would not have been striking at them. Snakes are usually not all that aggressive, and prefer to avoid people. Those who get bit have usually either surprised or antagonized the snake. Although I might have to retract when it comes to water mocs. Those things will even climb into a boat with you! And they have very, very bad tempers most of the time.

[kolamum]

Pam, it might be wiser to say something more like... Once you've been bit by a poisonous snake we have to do the following to keep the poison from traveling into your blood stream and killing you.

 

1. Sit you down and keep the bitten area lower then the rest of your body, especially your heart.

 

2. Use a clean razor/knife to cut the affected area out/off.

 

3. Suck your blood to encourage the poison to come out rather then go in.

 

It won't be fun. It will most likely hurt, but you will live.

 

 

You could even go a step farther and purchase a commercial snake kit. I'm not sure they encourage you to cut the effected area anymore, but 20 something years ago when we moved to the south this was the rule we were taught. Now I think they tell you to do everything else IF you can't reach medical help within 30 minutes. They do encourage you to suction the blood out, but they also suggest you wrap something 4 inches above the bite wound tightly. Not so tight it cuts off circulation, but tight enough that it SLOWS the passing of blood.

 

Unfortunately it might instil a whole lotta fear in them vs respect for said creature.

[Mallory]

I also have to teach my boys about venomous snakes, but we are big at bringing home all kinds of creatures to show everyone, so we still pick up non venomous ones.

 

We have flagged the poisonous snakes that live around here in all of our snake books -rattlesnakes, pigmy rattlesnakes, cottonmouths, coral snakes (even though they probably don't really live as far north as we do, they have been caught in AR), and copperheads.

 

We have all kinds of cottonmouths and copperheads around, they are at our creek all the time (well I suppose just now they are rushing down our creek, there is a lot of water out there today;)). And just last spring the boys found a pigmy rattlesnake and we able to tell it was venomous and leave it alone (it is a very pretty little snake, I had never seen one before, with an almost nonexistant rattle and pretty grey cloud like markings).

 

Just like we know how to identify dangerously venomous spiders (they all are venomous, but few leave much of a wound/injury), and poisonous plants, and what to do if they see a bear, and any manner of other things you should know if you are going to spend much time wandering around outside in the woods and creeks and fields near our home (which they do every day).

 

I would guess you need to pass on more then just how to identify snakes. What happens if one of them falls out of a tree on the far side of your property and breaks a leg? what if he is bleeding badly? what if they find berries they'd like to eat? Eating what you find out there is part of the fun of wandering around in the woods, just like picking up intersting bugs, or snakes, or rocks, but you have to know about it before you just go at it.

 

I think you should make it a whole wilderness survival class ;)

 

There are lots of books, the only one I can find on our shelf right now is Tom Brown's Field Guide to Nature and Survival For Children. They also love reading survival stories- Hatchet and it's series, My Side of the Mountain and its sequals, Cabin on Trouble Creek (about two brothers 9 and 11), and so on. There are lots of them.