West Virginia is home to 20 species of snakes, all of which are cold-blooded, meaning their body temperature matches their surroundings. Common snakes include the following:

• Ringneck snakes (small, with a yellow neck ring) and black rat snakes (our largest, best climbers) are most often found around homes.

• The northern water snake is common near water.

• The hognose snake acts like a cobra, flattening its neck and hissing, but it is harmless and will even play dead. It’s one of the few animals that can eat toads because it neutralizes their poison.

• Our fastest is the black racer, moving up to four to five miles per hour.

Only two species in West Virginia are venomous: the copperhead and the timber rattlesnake. Both are pit vipers. They have heat-sensing pits between their eye and nostril to find warm-blooded prey in the dark. They have a vertical, black pupil (like a cat's eye). Harmless snakes have round pupils. The copperhead is copper in color with darker bands shaped like hourglasses across its back. The timber rattlesnake is the state reptile. Its bite is a medical emergency, but deaths are rare.