Eastern garter snake-a non-venomous snake found in the eastern United States http://www.flickr.com/photos/7147684@N03/1054559796/

To save you from the guesswork, the resounding answer is yes! Snakes get a very bad reputation as creepy, slimy, lethal predators.  Whether this comes from ancient references to them as evil and satanic, their unusual means of transportation or the fact that the worst of them are incredibly dangerous, remains unclear.  The phrase “the only good snake is a dead snake,” is quite common in popular culture, but that’s actually not the kind of good snake we’re referring to.  Even though most people associate all snakes with deadly, flesh eating bites, the number of non-venomous snakes in the US far outweighs the venomous ones.  There are approximately 12 snake-bite related deaths in the United States every year and many of these occur as a result of humans handling or owning venomous snakes.  Wanting to avoid close encounters with snakes is understandable, but we have a few enticing reasons why you should generally leave snakes alone.  Continue reading →