Venomous snakes could be found in Trumbull County
A major water line project in northern Trumbull County got a little more expensive due to an endangered snake.
A major water line project in northern Trumbull County got a little more expensive due to an endangered snake.
Another $10,000 was needed for a $15 million water line installation project in Farmington and Southington townships.
The extra money will cover the cost of a study and the need for a herpetologist to be on site to look for the venomous and endangered massasauga rattlesnake during the construction.
The eastern massasauga is just one of three venomous snakes that are found in Ohio.
The massasauga rattlesnake is only found in eight counties in Ohio, Ashtabula and Trumbull are two of them.
They are rarely seen. Its color varies from gray to brownish gray.
"They don't get very large, so they are tough to see. To begin with, they only get a couple feet long at most and they are fairly slim and they blend in with their environment really well and they love being in wet marshy habitats," said Jamie Emmert with the Ohio Division of Wildlife.
Another snake that is very common in wetland areas is the common water snake. Although they are very aggressive, the good news is they are non-venomous.
In addition to the water snake, the milk snake is usually mistaken as venomous. It's not. Wildlife experts say snakes should never be killed because they actually do a lot of good. They eat lots of rodents and insects.
The timber rattlesnake and the eastern copperhead are the other two venomous snakes. They are only found in southern Ohio and they prefer rocky or wooded hillsides. And there's a good thing to know about the venomous snakes.
"When a venomous snake does strike, most of the time they don't actually inject venom. The strike itself is supposed to be enough to ward off predators or threats to them. However, they do try to defend themselves, so the best thing to do, and it's easier said than done, is to keep your distance from any snake really," added Emmert.
How can you tell them apart? The rattle is a dead giveaway, plus nonvenomous snakes have a more oval head while venomous snakes heads look more triangular.
