Brian Walters wrote:
That's an attractive little beastie which, I gather, is non venomous....
It looks a little like a Legless Lizard. I have a photo of one of those
around here somewhere - I'll try to dig it up and PESO it.
Unless you're a fairly small insects, garter snakes are pretty benign.
It's possible that if you really irritate one it might bite you, but
their primary defense seems to be pooping.
Interesting, it seems that they actually are venomous, for humans don't
need to worry at all values of venomous.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garter_snake
If disturbed, a garter snake may coil and strike, but typically it will
hide its head and flail its tail. These snakes will also discharge a
malodorous, musky-scented secretion from a gland near the cloaca. They
often use these techniques to escape when ensnared by a predator. They
will also slither into the water to escape a predator on land. Hawks,
crows, raccoons, crayfish, and other snake species (such as the coral
snake and king snake) will eat garter snakes, with even shrews and frogs
eating the juveniles.
also
Garter snakes were long thought to be nonvenomous, but recent
discoveries have revealed they do, in fact, produce a mild neurotoxic
venom.[4] Garter snakes cannot kill humans with the small amounts of
comparatively mild venom they produce, and they also lack an effective
means of delivering it. They do have enlarged teeth in the back of their
mouths,[5] but their gums are significantly larger.[6][7] The Duvernoy's
gland of garters are posterior (to the rear) of the snake's eyes.[8] The
mild venom is spread into wounds through a chewing action.
--
Larry Colen l...@red4est.com (postbox on min4est) http://red4est.com/lrc
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