The Eastern Kingsnake (Lampropeltis getula) is one of our most important snakes, especially in its role as a predator of rattlesnakes. Recent trends show populations decreasing in many areas.
Eastern Kingsnake, Ben Hill County
Vanishing Georgia: Photographs by Brian Brown
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My husband accidentally killed a baby eastern king snake. He’s not too familiar with snakes, because like you said it’s drilled into most of us to be afraid or cautious of them. Luckily my father taught us the difference in poisonous and nonpoisonous snakes at a very young age. He had my sister and I outside catching brown snakes, while teaching us to watch out for copperheads.
Snakes Creep Me Out -.-
Alisha,
I read an article that claimed humans innately fear snakes, that it is hard wired into us. That might account for our feelings toward these creatures. They “creep” me out too but only when I don’t know their location in relation to mine. We know that snakes serve a very important purpose in the natural world. They deserve our respect and to be left alone. Even poisonous snakes serve to balance an eco-system. They help keep in check rats, mice, and other wildlife in a healthy natural environment. Man has reduced the snake populations everywhere he has settled. In South Georgia, the beautiful non poisonous Indigo snake along with the Georgia state reptile, the Gopher Tortoise, have been negatively impacted by our attitudes and our habits. Let us hope that these two species are respected and in time will recover and not become a part of vanishing South Georgia.
Brian, your photo of the Eastern King Snake is a nice one. I once saw one consume a Cotton Mouth Moccasin in a ditch long side of a sandy dirt road near Snipesville, Georgia in the summer of 1954. That was quite an experience that lasted a long time. I was riding our work horse old Nell home from the Adams farm to near Denton after a hard day’s work puttin-in tobacco. I stopped the horse to allow her to drink water from a ditch. As she put her head down to drink, she all of a sudden reared and almost dropped me off her back. At that time, I noticed two snakes entangled in the water where she had intended to imbibe. After getting the horse calmed, I watched the King Snake eat the Cotton Mouth.
Now days, those kind of experiences are vanishing quickly.
Jesse , I Now Live In Massachusetts And I’ve Seen A Snake Only One Time In The 12 Years That. I’ve Been Here. I Hope To Never See One Again In My Life. I’m Doing My Part On Never Bothering Them !!