Snakes
There are about 220 distinct kinds of snakes in North America. All are beneficial since they eat rodents and insects. The United States has only four major types of snakes that are poisonous to humans: rattlesnakes, copperheads, water moccasins, and coral snakes, and they all can be found in Texas. Children should be taught the dangers and the benefits of snakes because all others than those mentioned above are harmless and beneficial to humans.
Some of the nonpoisonous and very helpful snakes are blackheads, brown snakes, ground snakes, earth snakes, garter snakes, ribbon snakes, patchnose snakes, rat snakes, king snakes, hognose snakes, bull snakes, coachwhips, whip snakes, racers, water snakes, and milk snakes. These benign snakes need to be protected because they help control lots of troublesome insect pests and rodents.
While these snakes are the most toxic in North America, in fact, it is very difficult for them to deliver toxin to a large animal. They really are not at all dangerous as long as they are not actually handled.
Here's some additional information on coral snakes.
http://www.wf.net/~snake/coral.htm)
Daryl Sprout is an interesting past guest on our radio show and has a helpful website.
http://snakeencounters.com/
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