Beware the Yellow Tail

It's that time of year. Summer heat is at its zenith and suddenly you begin to see tiny baby snakes with yellow tails especially in Missouri. Beware that the yellow tail on these tiny creatures means they are potentially deadly for you.

I am not a fan of snakes, but I'm also not an advocate for going out of your way to harm them. They are a necessary part of the Missouri ecosystem, but there is one snake in particular you want to be watchful for this time of year because that's when their babies are often seen. I'm talking about baby copperhead snakes which appear in August and despite their small size, they pack a potent venomous bite.

You'll easily identify them by their bright yellow tail and diamond-shaped head.

As the Missouri Department of Conservation mentions, copperhead snakes are really good for the environment and especially agriculture as they prey on mice. You just don't want your hand or foot to go anywhere where these snakes might be hiding as even the babies have a venomous bite.

Most people perceive that a young version of a venomous snake would be less harmful than an adult. In the case of the copperheads you'll come across in Missouri, that is not true.

This is the time of year when you want to be especially watchful of young copperhead snakes. The Missouri Department of Conservation shared this:

Courtship and mating occur mainly in the spring, though it may also occur in late summer and early autumn. Young are born in August through early October.

I go out of my way to avoid where I think copperhead snakes might be in Missouri, but it's good to know that the yellow tail on a baby is not something you want to get close to. Small, but deadly indeed.