Keep these fun facts and tips handy for your next snake encounter:

• People who study snakes are called Herpetologists
• Snakes help control small animal populations like frogs, insects, and rodents.
• Occasionally, snakes die when they try to swallow animals that are too large.
• A rattlesnake’s rattle is made of keratin, the same material found in human fingernails.
• Snakes are found on every continent with the exception of Antarctica.
• Eastern Indigo snakes are known to consume rattlesnakes and pit vipers without falling ill; their bodies are immune to the deadly toxins.
• The Cottonmouth snake gets its names from the white cotton-like coloring on the inside of its mouth.
• A love of snakes is known as ophiophilia. Ophiophobia is the fear of snakes.
• Snakes do not have to be coiled to strike. They can reach a distance that’s half their length.

Resources for this article have been provided by Wikipedia, Florida Wildlife Control and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.