Wildlife expert talks about venomous snakes in West Tennessee

CHESTER COUNTY, Tenn. — Snakes have a dangerous reputation, but experts say very few of the 30 types in West Tennessee are venomous.

“We only have three poisonous snakes in West Tennessee, or actually Tennessee altogether,” said Sgt. Keith Mitchell with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. “We have a rattlesnake, a cottonmouth and a copperhead. We have two rattlesnakes — a timber rattler and a pigmy rattler.”

Sgt. Mitchell said venomous snakes are going to have a triangular-shaped head and be fat all the way down to their tail. A non-venomous snake is slender and typically longer.

If you’d like to keep these slithering species farther from your property, maintenance is key.

“You want to keep your property clean,” Sgt. Miller said. “There are going to be snakes around water. If you have a pond around your house, just be sure to keep the banks clean and mowed, sprayed or weed-eated.”

Snakes are protected by state law, and it is illegal to kill them. You can be written a ticket by TWRA officials.

For a look at the species native to West Tennessee, visit www.tennsnakes.org.