Trans-Pecos Copperhead - Agkistrodon contortrix pictigaster from
Presidio County, Texas Photo courtesy of Troy and Marla Hibbitts
An Online Herpetological Resource Since 1997
Welcome to Gerald Keown's THE VENOMOUS SNAKES OF TEXAS. This site was first launched on August 21, 1997 as a layman's online identification reference to the 15 varieties of venomous snakes that are native to Texas.
In 1998, we expanded our services to include providing snake identification help for people by email, IF they are able to provide a photograph of the snake in question. Since that time, we have averaged 300 to 500 snake identifications made by email during each spring and summer season.
Mottled Rock Rattlesnake Crotalus lepidus lepidus Photo by Terry Hibbitts
In 2001 we began to focus on educating the public with regard to the need for conservation of our herpetofauna and discouraging the needless and wanton killing of countless non-venomous snakes. In conjunction with this educational effort we created a new section titled Common Snake Myths and Their Truths. By this time we had realized that the vast majority of the identification requests we were receiving actually involved non-venomous snakes, so later that same year we added an additional section titled Other Non-Venomous Texas Snakes discussing and providing photographs of just a few of the 94 other non-venomous snakes native to Texas. This section continues to expand today.
In 2003 in conjunction with Amazon.com we added the Herpetological Bookstore featuring a number of titles related to both venomous and non-venomous Texas Snakes for the convenience of our users and visitors, along with a section on protected species.
In 2005 we added our Herpetological Dictionary as a helpful glossary for all those folks who are not familiar with the many words, terms and phrases used in the field of herpetology. Since its addition, this section has been expanded and added to several times. In 2005 we also began providing a number of other technical and consulting services including snake removal and relocation, educational talks and programs, conservation and wildlife consulting, expert court testimony in cases involving reptiles, technical assistance to municipalities and other local governments in the development or revision of ordinances and municipal codes involving the keeping and display of snakes and other reptiles, and technical assistance for motion picture and television productions.
Southern Copperhead Agkistrodon contortrix contortrix Photo by John Ward
In 2006 THE VENOMOUS SNAKES OF TEXAS moved to our own secure dedicated server and in conjunction with that move we opened the Herpetological Papers & Articles section providing a free online repository for papers and articles written by both professional and advanced amateur herpetologists. We are now accepting submissions for inclusion in this new section. In addition, we also added the Venomous Snake Bites In the News section.
From time to time, you will continue to notice other new miscellaneous sections appearing on the navigation bar located at the bottom of each section.
Banded Rock Rattlesnake Crotalus lepidus klauberi Photo by Chris Jones
Since its initial beginning back in 1997, THE VENOMOUS SNAKES OF TEXAS has owed its very existance to a number of individuals and firms who have supported it in one fashion or another throughout the years. I have tried to acknowledge each of these supporters on the Credits page. Over the years, the continued operation of THE VENOMOUS SNAKES OF TEXAS has become a labor of love project for me and I would be remiss should I fail to thank my wife Susan, the love of my life, for her continued support and tireless assistance in this ongoing endeavor and for her tolerance of a basement full of snakes for all these years. Should you be interested in learning more about me, please feel free to check out my Brief Biography.
Please use the navagation bar below to select the section of the site that you wish to access. If you have found THE VENOMOUS SNAKES OF TEXAS to be helpful or beneficial to you, please be sure to bookmark us for easy access in the future. Thank you for visiting.
This site was established on August 21, 1997. Our original counter hit 999,999 visits on May 15, 2008. This page has been snake bitten
10837
times since we reset the counter on May 15, 2008.
All images used on this site are used with permission of the photographer and are protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited without written consent of the individual photographer.
