Where are the Venomous Snakes Located in Minnesota?

Let me start this out with saying that I am not a huge fan of snakes.  They slither and creep me out comepletely.  tt's just the slimy way that they move and they are sneaky.  Sneaky snake.  Isn't that a song?  Anyway, the thing that is also strange about this is the fact that I also have a huge fascination with them.  And also, the bigger they are the less they creep me out which is also very odd, I know.

POISONOUS SNAKES IN MINNESOTA

I have heard that there are some venomous snakes here in Minnesota, which I thought was strange because I had always heard that there were no poisonous snakes here.  Well, technically there aren't.  At least there aren't any here in Central Minnesota.  There are, however, two different types of snakes that are poisonous that are located in Southern Minnesota.

The two venomous snakes in Southern Minnesota are the Timber Rattlesnake.  This one looks like any other rattlesnake, rattle and all on it's...tail?  So, fairly easy to spot.

The other poisonous snake in Minnesota is also located in the Southern part of the state.  This one looks a lot like a Timber Rattlesnake, but it's a bit smaller.  It's called an Eastern Massasauga snake.  They do have a rattle too, but this one sounds more like a buzzing rather than the traditional rattle of a rattlesnake.

...massasaugas are greyish brown with large brown blotches down the center of their backs and two to three rows of smaller spots down each side

These snakes can be found in marshes and other wetlands.  But sometimes in the summer months they can be found in tall grassy areas.

Timber Rattlesnakes can be found mostly in wooded areas.  They are also not that aggressive, but if they do strike their fangs can be 4 to 6 inches long.  That coulc do some serious damage.

Timber rattlesnakes are ambush predators and typically wait on fallen logs for the perfect moment to strike their prey from above. Their diet consists mainly of small mammals such as rodents, but they also eat birds and frogs. They eat other snakes and seem to prefer garter snakes to other species.

Garter snakes?  Doesn't that seem like snake cannibalism?

Anyway, if you are just hanging around here, in Central Minnesota, the most you will (probably) run into is a garter snake.  But if you are traveling to the Southern part of the state - be aware of the areas you are in, so as to avoid those two types of snakes.

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