The Amphibian Foundation's Frog Blog

From Carrie Gardner, On Quora  ---- Black Racer, Coluber constrictor   Really, there isn't any. Products like “Snake B Gone" are junk. Anything that says that the scent drives them away is also a rip-off. They don't care about any of that. Mothballs have been banned for outdoor use by the EPA and is toxic for people. Please don't use any poisons because it sinks into groundwater and into bodies of water and poisons every animal and plant they come into contact with. If your land is full of snakes, that means the area is full of rodents, which is what most snakes eat. And I would like to add that most prey species far outnumber the predators. So you probably have a much greater problem than just a lot of snakes and right now, they are your friends. Snakes only go where there is food so your best bet to lower the number of snakes in your yard is to get rid of the source of food. If there a lot of snakes in your yard then chances are there is a good size rodent population...

COTTONMOUTH VIDEO UNDERCUTS MYTH Cottonmouth in a south Georgia stream (Matt Moore) By MATT MOORE Judging by comments at public education programs I’ve done, cottonmouths are the most misunderstood and maligned of Georgia's six native species of venomous snakes. I have worked in close proximity with many   cottonmouths (aka water moccasins)   over the years and I encounter dozens each year in the south Georgia swamps where I conduct wetland field work. Yet I’ve never had a cottonmouth chase me – a prominent myth concerning this species – or try to bite me. Earlier this month while wading in a narrow, shallow stream in a south Georgia swamp, I met a large eastern cottonmouth – approximately 4 feet long – swimming upstream.   My video of the encounter   shows the snake's initial curiosity as it tries to figure out what this large obstruction in its path is. After deciding that I’m an animate object and thus a potential predator, the snake decides to avoid ...

This tiny (yet fierce) Brown Snake ( Storeria dekayi ) is a harmless brown snake, often mis-identified (and killed) as a Copperhead. This beneficial snake eats slugs and can help keep your garden healthy. Questions About Snakes? DNR Has Answers FORSYTH, Ga. (4/27/2017) From spring through summer, calls and emails about snakes are a given at Georgia Department of Natural Resources offices. Yet most of those contacts involve only two questions: What species is this and what do I do with it? “Only every once in a while, is it a venomous snake,” said John Jensen, a senior wildlife biologist with DNR’s Nongame Conservation Section and co-author of “Amphibians and Reptiles of Georgia. ”Whether it’s a venomous snake is, of course, the concern or outright fear underlying most of the questions. Chances are it’s not, Jensen said. Only six of the 46 species native to Georgia are venomous and only one – the copperhead – usually thrives in suburban areas, where the majority of Georgia...

 Especially, the reptiles with particularly ‘bad raps’ like Copperheads and Snapping Turtles. You know, animals that the average person loves to hate — and oftentimes — kill. Admittedly, baby Copperheads are snippy and beautiful. Luckily, copperhead venom is not very potent and deaths from copperhead bites are exceedingly rare. Most snake bites occur when someone tries to kill or harass a snake, so the best way to avoid a bite is to leave any snake you find alone. (from the SREL site) This particular hatchling Copperhead was found at The Atlanta History Center, which has recently switch from a ‘zero-tolerance’ kill policy to a translocation program initiated by The Amphibian Foundation. We will come and move your Atlanta Copperhead to a location outside the perimeter we have worked out with GA DNR. Recent studies indicate that translocating a reptile (particularly an adult) increases its chance of mortality by 70%, but compared to 100% death by getting its head cut off — we’ll ta...

A recently produced resource displaying the truth about venomous snakes (content verified by Andrew Durso ) I loved this graphic so much I asked Liz if we could publish it on here on the frog blog. Snake myths have been coming u a lot lately on social media and I wanted to provide this excellent resource for addressing these myths —remember, if you have been bitten by a venomous snake, you probably deserved it. Liz is an amazingly talented illustrator, UGA graduate and former member of the UGA Herpetological Society. Click here to see more of her incredible work.

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