Protected Snakes In North Carolina

Most people squirm at the sight of a snake, conservation of these animals may not be top priority for most due to the way they are perceived by the general public, however it is important that all species that are endangered receive protection (Musah et al. 2022). Snakes are very important to their ecosystem with regards to keeping predator prey relationships in balance (Kontsiotis, Liordos, and Rapti 2022). They are intergral in maintaining the food web. One of the biggest benefits with snakes is keeping the prey population down such as rodents, slug and insects. When there are a large snake population they also serve as food for birds and other animals.

There are many snakes found in North Carolina but only a few of them are considered endangered and protected, those include the pigmy rattlesnake (Sistrurus miliarius), timber rattlesnake(Crotalus horridus), eastern diamondback rattlesnake (Crotalus adamanteus), and eastern coral snake (Micrurus fulvius). There are currently 2 types of venomous snakes you are still legally allowed to kill, the Copperhead and the Cottonmouth.

Persecution by humans and habitat destruction are the main culprits for the endangerment of snake species. All over North Carolina we are seeing forest and land being destroyed for residential and commercial use. When we take over the natural habitat of the animals that live in them there are substantial consequences to the species.

When spotting a snake that is listed as endangered we are encouraged by the state of North Carolina to take a picture and document the sighting preferably with an app so that they can keep a census of the population.

The red dots indicate sightings of the Carolina Pygmy Snake, and the blue dots show sightings of the Timber Rattlesnake. There is currently no data on sightings of the eastern diamondback rattlesnake, and eastern coral snake in North Carolina.

Even if we don't like snakes it is still important to preserve their species. We can all do our part to protect the snakes in North Carolina. First by spreading awareness. Educating the population is incredibly important especially with regards to species who are considered less favorable to general public. Another way we can help out is leaving the snakes alone, it is not necessary to kill snakes when we find them in our yard we can simply ward them off with a large object or water-hose. Lastly if we come across an endangered snake species we can document with a picture from a safe distance in order that conservation efforts can be directed in those places. If we take these simple measures we can be effective conservationist in the effort to preserve the endangered snake species in North Carolina.