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Calm down, now... we're not talking the Triangle version of "Snakes on a Plane" here. NC has lots of vegetation, creeks, rivers, etc. where snakes like to hide. There are few places in this fair country where you don't encounter snakes every now and then.
Does Durham city proper have snakes? I would be lying if I said no. There are snakes in the city, but I would by no means say they are abundant, and I'm sure there are residents in every part of the city who could claim never to have seen a snake in these parts. I've lived in three different parts of Durham over an 11 year span. I never saw any snakes at my first two places, and the second place certainly had ample opportunity to produce one (ivy, rotten stump holes, overgrown azalea bushes, etc.). I have seen three snakes in the last year. Two were tiny little harmless critters in my current yard (this did not freak me for some reason) and one was a larger black snake (harmless by the way) crossing the street a few houses down. I was glad he was not in my yard.
Snakes are not an every day encounter for most Durham city dwellers, not even a yearly encounter. With any luck, one might cross your urban path every decade or so. Seems a small price to pay for living in a wonderful place.
I have never, ever encountered a snake on an elevator, and like you, I would be crawling the walls!!! I have never, nor have any of my NC relatives ever, encountered a snake in a house. I posted about it because like you and the elevator, for me a house snake would be a worst fear. Eek!
By the way, Durham has no monopoly on snakes in the Triangle. Search this forum and you'll find snake posts from just about every fair municipality in the region. Why, I bet even a neighborhood as lovely as Bedford at Falls River has a few snakes lurking.
Last edited by Esperanza27713; 05-08-2008 at 07:51 PM..
Reason: typo
This guy (Dylan) is a fellow snake lover and has many videos on YouTube from IL that you should check out regarding venomous snakes. Not quite the monsters theyre made out to be, eh?
Its amazing how many eyes he is opening with these videos. Now, of course, do not attempt to do this by yourself, Dylan is an experienced herper. I love the comments left on the timber rattlesnake page... can he sway you too?
Please don't kill the black snakes (non-poisonous), you want them around your house, they will eat all the rodents/frogs that copperheads would eat and I have heard they will kill the baby copperheads. So if you have a big black snake hanging around your chances of having a copperhead around is greatly reduced.
Steve-o, thanks for introducing me to Dylan. What a hoot! I liked his watersnake video, where he seems rather proud of the bloody bite on his finger. Ah, the fun one can have on You Tube.
Please don't kill the black snakes (non-poisonous), you want them around your house, they will eat all the rodents/frogs that copperheads would eat and I have heard they will kill the baby copperheads. So if you have a big black snake hanging around your chances of having a copperhead around is greatly reduced.
Cottonmouths (Agkistrodon contortrix) are black alot of the time, too. A good rule of thumb is to leave ALL the snakes alone, there's no need to kill them. Thats just rude and ignorant if you ask me.
Steve-o, thanks for introducing me to Dylan. What a hoot! I liked his watersnake video, where he seems rather proud of the bloody bite on his finger. Ah, the fun one can have on You Tube.
Youre welcome! Dylan is a great guy from the looks of it. He appreciates nature and is fascinated by it (as I am, too). He makes sure to show how snakes are not monsters and are often misunderstood, and I agree with him completely. As for the watersnake bite, some species of Nerodia are notoriously defensive. Some will musk you and bite you until you let them go, others could care less. Ive been 6" from northern watersnakes (Nerodia sipedon) taking pictures of them, and they didnt even care one bit.
We've been just less than a month and walk daily in Bond Park (woods, paths, lake etc). I have yet to see snake. BTW, I don't think the Janiskent will appreciate the snake photos. Pretty up close and personal.
OMG! Im sick to my stomach. My husband and myself are in the process of purchasing a home in Louisburg, NC. It is on 5 acres with a pond. I never considered there might be snakes...esp poisonous ones. Do their bits really kill you? Im from Massachusetts and only see non-poisonous ones around here...and we live by the river.
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A good rule of thumb is to leave ALL the snakes alone, there's no need to kill them. Thats just rude and ignorant if you ask me. 
