The Texas Department of Agriculture tweeted a reminder on Sunday afternoon that as snake activity picks up as warmer weather moves in, slippery serpents can also be rather sneaky and hide in places you may not imagine.
Sharing a photo credited to Farm and Ranch Memes, the department showed a snake coiled up under the cantle of a western saddle on a horse.
“Watch for snakes this season. They may be tucked in places you’d never assume,” said Farm and Ranch Memes.
According to Texas Parks and Wildlife, snakes cannot tolerate extreme cold and will normally hibernate in the winter, emerging from their dens late February or early March in Texas.
TPWD said snakes are often found under rocks, fallen limbs, in the leaf litter, hidden in tall, grassy and brushy areas, in areas mice or rats may be such as trash, brush and rock piles, stacked lumber and stone walls fences. Or as the picture shows, they can also be found coiled up in tight spaces.
TPWD said, “the best rule of thumb is to watch where you put your hands and feet; don’t put them in places without looking and don’t put them in places where you can’t see. If you lift a stone or log or any object under which a venomous snake might be, first move it with a stick or hook.”
