Finding Snakes and Reptiles

by Owen Jones

There are few places in the world that haven’t been colonised by snakes and other reptiles. Snakes are even to be found in cities, although it is only the friendlier ones that tend to survive human wrath. However, if you want to look for some of the more uncommon snakes, you could look in parks and fields, on beaches or in rivers and ponds and even in the sea, depending where you live, of course as sea snakes tend to inhabit warmer, tropical waters.

You will need to be alert and train your eyes to spot even the slightest movement. Wear clothes of dull, drab colours and move slowly, stopping often to listen for movement in the grass or bushes. In the beginning, you will have many false hopes, until you learn to differentiate between the sounds of the different animals that live or hunt in the grass.

Snakes are difficult to find; most of the adventurous snakes get killed by frightened (and often ignorant) humans, but a good tip is to look for relatively damp areas in arid regions and, conversely, dry spots in damp areas. Look for where their prey might congregate; for example, near water for toads and frogs. Watch for frightened lizards or birds fleeing for their lives. And listen for geckos warning each other of the presence of a predatory snake.

If you have to disturb anything, at least don’t damage it and make sure you put it back as you found it. Two useful tools while out looking for snakes are binoculars (for tree snakes) and a snake-hook, which should also be used for moving bits of debris so that you don’t risk getting bitten by a snake or stung by a scorpion. A camera, a torch and a notebook and pen are more or less essential, depending on how seriously you treat your interest in herpetology.

You could also take a rule or tape to measure your specimens and a few plastic bags and boxes to hold them while you are doing so. Do not kill anything and do not take anything home with you either! Besides it not being right to wander into their territory and cause mayhem, it is often against the law too. Be very wary of handling any snake that you cannot 100% positively identify as non-venomous. You could be miles from anywhere and will probably not have anti-venom with you. Since many snakes can kill within 30 minutes, you would probably die.

In summary, go looking for snakes by all means. Take it easy and slowly and wear inconspicuous clothing. Wear strong, hiking-style boots to give you some protection where you are most vulnerable and do not disturb anything unnecessarily. Take a snake-hook to move things; a tape, torch, camera, notebook and pen to record your experience and/or findings and a few clear plastic receptacles in case you feel that you have to pick something up.

I hope you enjoy your search for snakes and other reptiles, but remember that they are not friendly and are definitely not