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While spending a few days in Kansas visiting family, I went to Quivira National Wildlife Refuge with my brother Shane to look at wildlife. I was thrilled to find two awesome snakes that we do not find here in our part of Missouri.
THE FIRST PHOTO is a bullsnake (also called gopher snake). Nonvenomous. I haven't seen one of these sizable snakes in several decades. Bullsnakes, which grow to six feet (1.8m) long, are constrictors that often prey on rodents such as gophers, mice, voles, and ground squirrels. Bullsnakes can be feisty when you first approach them. This one tried to crawl away, but when I crouched in front of it to take photos, it coiled to strike, hissed at me, and rattled its tail (many harmless snakes rattle their tails, a way of making predators think they are rattlesnakes). As you can see, bullsnakes are truly beautiful creatures.
THE SECOND PHOTO is a western massasauga. Venomous. This is the first massasauga I have ever seen in the wild, so I was beyond excited about it. Massasaugas are rather small rattlesnakes (14 to 36 inches), which means they deliver a relatively small dose of venom when they bite. This makes them less dangerous than larger rattlesnakes. But still, the venom is a powerful hemotoxin (it destroys blood cells and damages other tissue), and a bite could become serious without medical treatment. These snakes are nocturnal in the summer, but in October they often move around during the day, so I was lucky to be there at the best time of the year to find one.
This snake was even more spirited than the bullsnake. As I approached, it went from zero to grouch in about two seconds. They are best appreciated from a safe distance.
Even if you don't care for snakes, you gotta admit these two are pretty cool critters. Right?
Photo Credit:
Both snakes by Stan C. Smith