re:Dangerous snakes
 

I often swim in the reservoir and other large bodies of freshwater in Westchester County of New York (The first county above NYC).

I am concerned about what kind of snakes may be present in the water as I can see them swimming all around me. I am sure there are garter snakes but perhaps there are water mocassins as well which I have heard can be very poisonous.

I know someone who caught an all black snake from the reservoir once but was not able to identify the kind.

Please let me know if I should be concerned about venomous snakes in the water that I am swimming in!

An all black snake is probably just that - a black rat snake. There are a number of non-venemous water snakes that look alot like their venemous cousins. As far as water mocassins go, unless someone up there purchased one and released it, you're pretty far north of their natural range. They only come up to the lower portion of Virginia (my home state) with any frequency and barely to the middle of the state at all. To get information on the snakes that occur in your area, contact your local Fish & Wildlife office - many of them now offer pamphlets or booklets on local wildlife, including snakes and other reptiles.

Dianne

This link should help you.

http://www.esf.edu/pubprog/brochure/snakes/snakes.htm