There are not many places in the world that haven’t been colonised by snakes and other reptiles. Snakes are even to be found in towns, although it is only the friendlier ones that tend to survive human wrath. However, if you want to find some of the more uncommon snakes, you could look in parks and fields, on beaches or in rivers and ponds and even in the sea, depending on where you live, of course as sea snakes tend to inhabit warmer, tropical waters.

You will have to be alert and train your eyes to spot even the slightest movement. Wear clothes of dull, drab colours and move slowly, stopping often to listen for movement in the grass or bushes. In the beginning, you will have many false starts, until you learn to tell the difference between the sounds of the various animals that live or hunt in the grass.

Snakes are hard to locate, because most of the adventurous snakes get killed by frightened (and often ignorant) humans, but a good tip is to look for relatively damp areas in arid regions and, conversely, dry spots in damp areas. Look for where their prey might congregate. For example, near water for toads and frogs. Look out for frightened lizards or birds fleeing for all they are worth. And listen out for geckos warning each other of the presence of a predator.

If you must move anything, at least don’t damage it and furthermore, ensure you put it back as you found it. Two useful tools to have while out looking for snakes and other reptiles are binoculars (for tree snakes) and a snake-hook, which should also be used for moving bits of debris so that you don’t risk getting bitten by a snake or stung by a scorpion. A camera, a torch and a notebook and pen are quite, depending on how seriously you take your hobby of herpetology.

You might also take a rule or tape to measure your specimens and a few plastic bags and boxes to hold them while you are doing so. However, do not kill anything and do not take anything home with you either! Apart from it not being right to wander into their domain and cause mayhem, it is frequently contrary to the law too. Be very wary of picking up any snake that you cannot definitely identify as non-venomous. You could be miles from anywhere and will probably not have any anti-venom with you. Since many snakes can kill within 30 minutes, you would probably die.

To summarize, go looking for snakes by all means. However, take it calmly and slowly and wear inconspicuous clothing. Moreover, wear strong, climbing boots to afford you some protection where you are most vulnerable and do not move anything unnecessarily. Use a snake-hook to move things if you have to; a tape, torch, camera, notebook and pen to record your experience and/or findings and a couple of clear plastic receptacles just in case you feel that you have to pick something up.

I hope you really enjoy your search for snakes and other reptiles, but always keep in mind that snakes are not friendly and they are definitely not pets so be wary of bites especially if your search is not taking place in the grounds of a hospital!

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