Charlotte Snakes Spotted! Recognizing Friends vs. Enemies

How To Identify The Snakes You Spot

Charlotte is home to tons of wildlife. Many we welcome with open arms - the birds that wake us up in the morning, the squirrels that run beside us on the trails - but what about the ball of snakes found in Charlotte a couple of weeks ago?

Snakes are making headlines on local news stations as the weather warms up, with an extra focus on the venomous Copperheads.

A little more than a month ago, in south Charlotte, a family's dog was attacked by a baby Copperhead that was hiding in the pine needles outside their house.

This makes the conversation about snakes - if they're friends or enemies - really more of a discussion on which snakes are particularly dangerous. It has to do with what kind of snakes are nesting in your yard and the differences between them. Here are a few of the most common to keep an eye out for:

Garter Snakes

You'll find Garter Snakes in the garden, where they can be very helpful. They eat insects that are menacing in your garden.

They come in a variety of color patterns from checkered to striped with oranges, reds, turquoise, browns, blacks, greys and yellows. They are essentially non-poisonous, but will lash out if threatened, releasing a musky, foul smell.

Black Rat Snake

The most common snake you may see in your yards at home is the Black Rat Snake. They tend to be over 6 to 7 feet long and are almost always solid black with white under the chin.

The Black Rat Snake will climb very easily up into shrubbery, trees, and try to get into birds' nests. It's a fairly docile snake, but does feed on small mammals such as mice, rats and other rodents (including Copperheads)!

Copperhead Snake

Copperheads are typically brown or orange in color, the shade of dead leaves. They can be aggressive and they are very dangerous. If you get too close, they'll strike. The best thing to do if you encounter a Copperhead is to quickly get out of their way and call a specialist.

Like we said above, Copperheads are a dangerous snake. Please do not attempt to remove a snake on your own. Schedule a service with our wildlife control specialists and we'll safely remove the snakes from your yard and return them to their rightful habitat.