Western kentucky~lots of snakes and which to avoid? (Louisville: camp, live)

[IrishTiltedKilt]

I have a crazy fear of snakes and am wondering if there are a lot in Western Kentucky. Does the water in Kentucky have any bearing on them????

Are there ones that will bite you and kill you???? Should I be afraid?????

[Davart]

There are snakes all over KY, Western KY has Cooperheads, Water Moccasins and Rattle Snakes in the poisonous types ... tons of non poisonous types.

[bobbyconn]

You will find the most dangerous snakes in our Government Buildings.

[censusdata]

Poisonous snakes are as big a problem around here as they are out west. 95% of the snakes I've ever seen (and I hike and fish a lot) are Black and garter snakes which are pretty harmless to humans and dogs. I was actually fishing at Fisherman's Park in eastern Louisville last year when my dog cornered a 5 foot long Black Snake. There are a few copperheads and rattle snakes in the high elevations of Eastern KY especially 1500 feet above sea level

[idlebrook]

My son is taking Herpetology at Murray State - Cottonmouths (AK

[idlebrook]

Sorry - pushed the send button too soon. Son at Murray State says Cottonmouths (aka Water Moccasins), Copperheads, & Timber Rattlesnakes can be found regularly in western KY. All are poisonous & dangerous, but your chances of coming across one in a typical residential area are not likely.

[dixiegirl7]

We do have copperheads and rattlesnakes in the rural areas of southcentral Kentucky also. We used to own a farm when I was a child that was full of them. The water moccasins here are not poinsonous...they are actually just water snakes, but are nasty and will bite, the species farther over in more wester Kentucky are. This website will show you that there are four types of poisonous snakes in Kentucky. The copperhead is in virtually every county, the timber rattler is in most counties except the far northern ones, the cottonmouth that is poisonous is in farther western Kentucky, and the Western Pygmy Rattler is only in about two counties in Western Kentucky.

Kentucky Snakes - Thumbnails (http://www.kentuckysnakes.org/search.cfm?option=posionous - broken link)


You are not going to run up on these snakes in the city (I hope), but out in the woods and around river banks and creeks, etc.

[KYHummingbird]

I have NEVER heard of anybody dying from a snake bite in our area.
You just use common sense and stay away from those areas.
There are snakes all over Western KY, Cooperheads, Water Moccasins and Rattle Snakes in the poisonous types and we have lots of non poisonous types.
BUT I do think that any good or bad snake is a DEAD SNAKE. I have lived in this area all my life and snakes do not keep me from enjoing the outdoors, wildlife or my life.

[dixiegirl7]

We have had dogs killed from poisonous snake bites before, but it is rare to hear of humans being bitten and dying. If you are going to camp or hike in very rural areas you do need to be wary and educate yourself about navigating in the woods.

[nuch]

there are 33 known species of snakes in kentucky and surrounding areas. 4 are poisonous they are the pygmy western rattlesnake, the timber rattlesnake, the copperhead, and the water moccasion/cotton mouth. the rest are non-poisonous. as for the poisonous ones they tend to keep to certain niches. it would be rare to come across them outside of a country setting.