I have a small area off to the side of our property that is wet and unusable where I burn some paper. I saw this herp starring at me. From a very young age I was told that garter snakes were non-poisonous. Thanks to Wikipedia I just learned otherwise. Garter snakes were long thought to be nonvenomous, but recent discoveries have revealed they do, in fact, produce a mild neurotoxic venom. 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, but their gums are significantly larger. The Duvernoy's gland of garters are posterior (to the rear) of the snake's eyes. The mild venom is spread into wounds through a chewing action.
@mittens@thistle@danette - Nor do I like snakes! I almost did an, "Eeek!" I walked out and dumped the papers on the burn pile and was ready to light it when I saw the snake. It was less than three feet from the papers. I thought, "Should I like them or not?" The snake gave no indication of leaving so I lit the paper. They burned and the snake watched them burn It must have liked the heat!
July 25th, 2015
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