Snake Control

When you think of the words slither or fangs, what animal pops into your head? For most of us, the answer is a scaled, legless, cold-blooded reptile. There are over 3,000 species of snakes worldwide, 600 venomous, and roughly 200 that can injure or kill a human. These freakish-looking predators are found everywhere except for Iceland, Ireland, New Zealand, Greenland, and Antarctica.

Snakes are predators, and they use venom or their bodies to constrict their prey. Almost all species swallow their victims whole, from the largest of snakes eating big mammals, such as deer, smaller ones taking down a rat or bird, and the King Cobra that eats other large snakes.

All snakes have scales, although a few species only have them on their underside. Scales serve two main purposes, they trap moisture in dry, arid climates and reduce friction with the ground when moving. They are also known for their forked tongues, which flick out of their mouths at high speeds in different directions, allowing them to smell the air around them. From this, they deduce if there is something to eat or a predator to run from in the area.

This is not the only unique trait these interesting slithery carnivores have to catch prey or stay safe. Below their eyes are two “pit holes” that sense heat given off by warm-blooded animals, while their lower jawbones sense vibrations from nearby rodents and other critters’ movements. Once they catch their prey, the hunter will unhinge its jaw and slowly work the meal down the hatch all at once. Because of the unique makeup of their digestive systems, they can eat prey that is several times larger than their heads.

It’s not surprising to find out that over forty species call Florida their home, especially when you consider the Everglades. Out of those forty, six are poisonous; the Florida Cottonmouth, Dusky Pygmy Rattlesnake, Eastern Diamond-backed Rattlesnake, Harlequin Coral, Eastern Copperhead, and Timber Rattlesnake. These are dangerous and potentially deadly, although the Dusky Pygmy’s bite is generally not considered life-threatening except possibly to children and small pets.

This is not to say that these are the only dangerous serpents that live here, because Florida has unfortunately become home to several non-native, invasive constrictor snakes such as the Boa and the Burmese python. The invasion of these slithery nightmare-creatures is even scarier when you consider that the Burmese python can grow up to an average of 26 feet, while the Boa can reach a respectable 10 feet long. Can you imagine walking out your back door and seeing one of these giants sliding through your yard? These invaders are so awful for the local environment that there is a yearly contest thrown for people to try and remove as many of them as possible from the Everglades. For 10 days, amateurs and professionals vie for money prizes for the biggest ones caught.

While the venomous species are easily the scariest ones you want to encounter, it is doubtful that the nonvenomous ones are welcome. Identifying snakes can be tricky, especially because there are nearly identical looking species, such as the poisonous Coral, which has imitators in both the non-poisonous Scarlet and Scarlet Kings. A cornered snake tends to be the most dangerous kind and most prone to striking due to fear. Because of this uncertainty, the average homeowner should not attempt to catch or remove a snake on their own, and residents of South Florida should let All Nix handle the problem.

If you’ve got slithering serpents under the deck, roaches in the pantry or stingers in your bushes, All Nix Services has your back. We offer both wildlife and pest control services throughout Broward County. If you’ve got infested property, we’re the ones you want on your team. Contact us today for an estimate and get on the path to being serpent-free.