Identification of Snakes 



There are twenty-one distinct species of serpents in the north- 

 eastern part of the United States from the Canadian border to Dela- 

 ware, of which only three are poisonous. 



That a certain amount of confusion exists in the public mind not 

 only about the identification of venomous and non-venomous reptiles 

 but about the economic value of snakes, their habits and their habitats, 

 has long been apparent to the author. Nearly three million persons 

 visit the New York Zoological Park each year and from the questions 

 they ask, as well as the evidence of a very heavy correspondence about 

 snakes, he has been made aware of the need for a simple but complete 

 guide to the serpents found in the northeastern part of the United 

 States. 



The variety of serpent life in this area is imposing, but the spe- 

 cies are not so numerous that an understanding of the general facts 

 about them cannot easily be grasped by anyone. The essential point 

 with which most persons are concerned is the differentiation of poison- 

 ous and non-poisonous snakes, and after that the identification of any 

 species that may be encountered. The former is not difficult; the three 

 poisonous serpents are the timber rattlesnake, the massasauga and the 

 copperhead, but as both the timber rattlesnake and the massasauga are 

 true rattlers and possess the warning appendage on the tail it will 

 simplify a definition to say that there are only two kinds of poisonous 

 snakes in our northeastern States, the rattlesnake and the copperhead. 



In extensive scientific works for the precise identification of ser- 

 pents, there are many species which on superficial examination appear 

 similar. In such works, definition is by technical differences of head 

 scalation, number of rows of scales around the body, the number of 

 abdominal shields, and relative size and arrangement of the teeth. Col- 

 oration and pattern have a part in such descriptions, but as unrelated 

 species may be similarly marked, extremely detailed descriptions are 

 necessary to separate them. 



This is not the case with our local serpents. The number of spe- 

 cies is so moderate and differences so marked, that simple outlines will 

 plainly define each species. No scientific study is necessary in making 

 immediate identification of these local snakes. 



The terrain inhabited by the twenty-one species is varied. Some 

 are more commonly found in wild meadows, others persistently fre- 



