General Information about Snakes in the Houston Area
Because Houston is surrounded by grassy prairies, wetlands, and bayous, you can find a variety of snakes in the area. But as it is with any other wildlife, snakes try to avoid humans and would rather get away from you than confront you. Defensive behavior such as hissing, flaring up, rattling, or playing dead, warns any approaching human or animal before direct contact occurs. Biting would be the very last resort for a snake when there is no other way out to defend itself. Snake bites are very rare and with a little caution can be completely avoided. To deter snakes you can stomp your feet to alert them of your presence and patiently wait for them to move away.
Some of the snakes that can be found in Houston are garter snakes, plain-bellied water snakes, rat snakes, rough earth snakes, rattlesnakes, copperhead snakes, coral snakes, and cottonmouths. Some of these snakes are venomous, meaning they can inject poison through a bite as opposed to poisonous meaning they are lethal to be ingested. This means all snakes should be treated with respect and left alone, especially if you cannot identify the species. Giving snakes of any species a wide space when seen is the best way to keep everyone safe, avoiding walking off designated trails in parks also helps increase the chance of spotting them before getting too close.