GREENSBORO, NC – Experts want to send out an important reminder this time of year -- it's a good idea to be on the lookout in your yard -- watching for snakes.
A copperhead snake bit and killed a dog in the Lake Jeanette area of Greensboro just last week.
Herpetologists say warmer weather means more snakes will be out and about, creating a better chance for snake bites.
They bite about 8,000 Americans every year.
James Tomberlin, a District Wildlife Biologist with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission says snakes are kind of like people.
During the summer, we go out to the lake, or the park, or the ball fields.
So do snakes. It's their world as well.
To keep the peace between them and yourself, Tomberlin says it’s important to educate yourself on what to look for in your yard.
Dilia Hill knows a thing or two about snakes in her yard!
“"We've seen several on the lake and we've seen a couple just over in our neighborhood,” said Hill.
Hill loves to walk her two cockapoos -- Rafa and Caesar.
She and her husband just moved to Lake Jeanette from Ohio and they've already fallen in love with the area.
“My husband and I walk these guys all the time,” said Hill. “It's just beautiful around here!”
But the very thing that makes this neighborhood beautiful, also makes it dangerous.
Snakes are out and active!
Hill's neighbor from the Northern Shores neighborhood was walking her dog when a copperhead attacked.
The dog did not survive.
Hill says it’s a petrifying reminder to always be alert.
“I just make sure that my dogs are away from them and they don't get too close to us,” said Hill. “I think the snakes will only bite you if they feel threatened.”
Experts say it’s important to know the basics about what types of snakes live in North Carolina.
Usually the difference between a non-venomous and a venomous snake is in the head and eyes, according to experts.
Experts say, in most cases, a venomous snake will have a triangular shaped head and slanted eyes.
Tomberlin says you can try to keep snakes away from your yard by keeping things organized and clean.
Snakes like to hide in places we forget to clean up -- like in the backyard under tools, toys, pipes, and lumber.
“They are coming into yards out of the woods because their prey is around the house. Birds, birdfeeders, mice, and rats and debris piles around the yard," said Tomberlin. “A lot of times we find them in the yard because they are after their food items."
Even if you come across them in your yard, the best advice is to stay away.
If you happen to get bitten try to stay calm and call for help!
“You don't want your heart rate to get too elevated because your blood is going to be moving more,” said Tomberlin. “So you want to stay calm and seek medical attention immediately.”
Experts say there are 37 different species of snakes in North Carolina and only six are venomous.
Only 9 to 15 people die from snake bites in a given year.
In fact, you're more likely to get stung by a wasp than bitten by a snake.
But experts says you can keep snakes away by getting rid of the animals they eat.
In the Greensboro, Winston-Salem, High Point area, some other common snakes are black rat snakes, brown snakes, and three species of water snakes.
In Stokes County, you could come across timber rattlesnakes in the Hanging Rock/Danbury area. Those are venomous.
In the outlying areas of the eastern and southern piedmont, like Alamance and Randolph counties, experts say you can find venomous cottonmouth snakes.
For more information on snakes and how to tell the difference between species, click here.
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