Joe

Joe is a freelance writer for FaunaFacts. Joe has written extensively about snakes for the site, but also contributes content about a range of animals.

Why There Are No Snakes in Alaska

Alaska is known for its lack of snakes; no snakes of any kind have been identified as native to the state because it’s too cold for these cold-blooded creatures. This does not imply there have never been any snake encounters. Some people have encountered snakes in Alaska in the past! In 2005, a solitary Common …

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Rat Snakes Vs. Copperhead Snakes

Adult rat snakes are longer than adult copperhead snakes. The dorsal of a copperhead is reddish-tan, with hourglass-shaped dark brown crossbanded dorsal, whereas that of rat snake would have irregular blotches or stripes on black, gray, yellow, red, brown, black-and-white, or orange. The head of a rat snake is small and wedge-shaped with a large …

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Milk Snake Vs. Copperhead Snake (10 Key Differences)

Milk snakes and copperheads might be difficult to distinguish at first look. Each has a reddish-brown base hue, but the copperhead has a considerably deeper copper tone. Furthermore, both snakes have black stripes that go across the back and down the sides. Milk snakes are known to mimic dangerous copperhead snakes as a defensive strategy.  …

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Are Snakes Amphibians?

Snakes are not amphibians. They belong to the animal class of Reptilia, or reptiles. Since reptiles bear some similarities with amphibians, many people would be forgiven to mistake one for the other. Moreover, both classes are placed in the same branch of zoology- the study of reptiles and amphibians is known as Herpetology. The amphibian …

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Does Sulfur Keep Snakes Away?

It is unclear whether sulfur is a useful snake repellant. There are no scientific studies proving any usefulness of sulfur to deter snakes, yet it is still regularly used in commercial snake repellant products. For decades, sulfur has been used as a snake repellant. This is because people believed that the strong odor produced by …

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Rattlesnake vs Kingsnake (Behavior, Diet, Habitat)

Rattlesnakes and kingsnakes are fascinating. Rattlesnakes are more dangerous to humans, but kingsnakes hunt and kill rattlesnakes! Rattlesnakes belong to the Viperidae family of snakes, which consists of some of the most venomous snakes. Kingsnakes belong to the Colubridae family which contains venomous and non-venomous species, but most are considered harmless to humans. The rattlesnake …

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Rattlesnake vs. Garter Snake (Behavior, Diet, Habitat)

Rattlesnakes and garter snakes are two entirely different snake species that evolved from lizards. Whereas they may possess similar characteristics, they differ in appearance, size, color, and habits. So, the two can be distinguished easily. Rattlesnakes are large, dense-bodied, and venomous snakes that attack and kill their prey using their potent venom. They feed on …

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Ribbon Snake Vs. Garter Snake (Behavior, Diet, Habitat)

Ribbon snakes are members of the garter snake group (Thamnophis). Telling the difference between the ribbon snake and the common eastern garter snake is very difficult because they look very similar. Some of the main things experts look out for when trying to distinguish between ribbon snakes and the common eastern garter snake include the …

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Kingsnake vs. Garter Snake (Behavior, Diet, Habitat, Pet Care)

Distinguishing a king snake from a garter snake is very simple. In general, king snakes are larger and bulkier than garter snakes. Another distinguishing feature is their color. Kingsnakes have diverse patterns and color variations; however, they are mostly recognized for their distinct banding consisting of light-colored bands on a darker backdrop. On the other …

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