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seeking cool spots, so people should be cautious around brush areas, under porches and rock walls,” Bankston said. “People should also carry a walking stick when hiking and make ground vibrations as they move along. Snakes will usually try to get out of your way if they know you’re there.”
Bankston said that the higher number of snake bites could be due to the snakes moving down from the mountains because of dry weather. “They are moving down closer to water supplies as their prey comes down for water,” Bankston said. “Warmer weather also tends to make snakes less tolerant when they are bothered.”
Bankston said that the Virginia Division of Game and Inland Fisheries has a booklet with pictures of wildlife in Virginia that can be used as a field guide for people to identify snakes or other animals. Copies are available for $2, and may be obtained by writing the Division’s Education Division, P.O. Box 1104, Richmond, Va. 23230-1104.
Copperheads and timber rattlesnakes are the only poisonous snakes in this area. Both are pit vipers, or poisonous snakes with heat-sensing pits between their eyes and nostrils. The pits enable the snake to sense temperature differences from as little as one Celsius degree higher or lower than the background temperature, and are useful in the snake’s search for warmblooded prey.
“The range is limited to about 12 inches in adult rattlesnakes; objects of different temperatures can be localized within this zone of sensitivity. The pits thus enable the snakes to strike very accurately at the source of heat.” , (Snakes of Virginia.) The snakes can strike for a distance equal to one-third to one-half of their body length. i
The snakes have two fangs that inject venom into the victim, and the fangs are hinged so they fold back and are covered by a membrane when the snake’s mouth is closed. Pit vipers also have vertical pupils and a triangularshaped head that is flat on top with a shaiq) angle at the side of the face.
Other physical characteristics of copperheads and timber rattlesnakes include:
Copperhead: -Also called highland moccasin, pilot snake, chunck head and upland moccasin. Adult: “Series of reddish-brown hourglass crossbands on a ground color ranging from pale reddish or pinkish brown to tan. Crossbands may be strongly constricted in middle of back, appearing from the side as a dark triangle with its apex directed upwards. Head usually a coppery color. Belly ranges from pinkish to tan with irregular dark spots and blotches.” Juvenile: “Paler than adult; narrow dark line through the eye; yellow tail tip.” Size: “From 8 to 10 inches at birth to more than 4 feet. Most
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