| A B C ALL WILDLIFE REMOVAL |
| SNAKES |
Left Click here to see information on Venomous Snakes
Left click here to see information on Non-venomous Snakes
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Snakes: The facts are that snakes are beneficial to man and hold an important place in the ecology of all parts of the world where occur. They can effectively control the populations of small mammals, like mice and rats. They are also an important food source for hawks and other predators. Several types of snakes are popular as pets and many people breed and sell captive bred snakes. There are 27 species and subspecies of snakes, only three of which are venomous. These are the Timber Rattlesnake, Copperhead, and the Cottonmouth. Comparatively, 115 snake species occur in North America while about 2100 species occur worldwide. Snakes are found throughout Maryland, from the hardwood forest of the Allegheny Mountains to the tidal marshes of the Atlantic Ocean and the Chesapeake Bay. Killing of Snakes and collection snakes for food, hides, and pets all contribute to the decline of their population. However, habitat destruction remains the leading threat. Description: Snakes are cylindrical in shape and do no have legs. They are cold blooded. Also they do not have eyelids or external ear openings. They are protected by a layer of scales. Each species of snake has a unique number of scales arranged and colored in a pattern on their bodies which help to identify them. Because snakes grow throughout their lives, they must replace the outer layer of scales (skin), which does not grow, this process is known as shedding, a process which can take up to a week to complete. During the shedding process the snake is temporally blind. To shed its skin a snake will rub its head against a rock, tree or some rough object to loosen it's old skin and will slowly crawl forward, turning the old skin inside out.All snakes are predators and either capture their prey and constrict it until the animal is dead, catch and swallow the animal alive or in the case of venomous snakes, using a toxin which immobilizes or kills their prey and then swallowing it whole. Snakes can swallow prey larger in circumference than themselves by dislocating their jaw .
problem mostly due to the natural fear of their looks. Snakes are actually a good control of rodents around your home. When they show up in your kitchen or bedroom then it becomes frightening. ALL SNAKES ARE PROTECTED IN THE STATE OF MARYLAND. Maryland boast 27 species of snakes, only 3 of which are poisonous. These are the timber rattlesnake, the Cotton Mouth, and the Copperhead. Poisonous snakes have one row of scales between the vent and the tip of the tail while non-poisonous snakes have two. Poisonous snakes have an elliptical pupil while non-poisonous snakes have round pupils. |