by Jeff Hajny
     One of the most misunderstood animals in the animal kingdom is the snake.
     When people see snakes, they are often repulsed by them as they slither around on the ground. People often associate snakes with poisonous bites and fear being bitten at the drop of a hat.
     In reality, there are very few species of venomous snake in Nebraska.
     On Sept. 13 at the Izaak Walton Lodge in rural Seward, Dan Fogell, instructor of anatomy, physiology and biology at Southeast Community College-Lincoln, attempted to set the record straight in his talk about venomous snakes in Nebraska.
     Fogell has been working at SCC for three years but has been working with snakes professionally for 12 years.
     "When I was little, I really enjoyed studying dinosaurs," Fogell said. "After a while, I started studying frogs and then got interested in snakes."
     In his demonstration, Fogell talked about species such as water moccasins, copperheads, massasaugas and prairie and timber rattlesnakes.
     Fogell said the most dangerous and most common venomous snake in Nebraska is the prairie rattlesnake. It ranges from western to central Nebraska and is very aggressive.
     The timber rattlesnake is the largest rattlesnake in Nebraska and has the deadliest venom, but is not an aggressive animal.
     The venom of the copperhead is relatively mild and it often lives in the same areas as timber rattlesnakes.
     Fogell addressed sightings of water moccasins in Nebraska and said many of them were mistaken for water snakes. He said the way to tell the differences between the two are water moccasins swim on top of the water, while non-poisonous water snakes swim with their bodies below the water.
     Another common misconception Fogell pointed out is cobra and puff adder sightings in Nebraska.
     He said that hognose snakes puff their heads out as a mode of defense and that is what the people are seeing.
     Fogell talked about how to care for a victim who has been bitten by a poisonous snake.
     "If you are bitten, get to a hospital right away without trying to do any field aid," Fogell said. "It's hard for me. I really want to administer first aid, but the best thing is just to get them to a nearby hospital."
     Fogell shared some experiences from his time working with snakes.
     "I remember one time a group of people and me found a timber rattler on a ledge about 30 feet high," Fogell said. "There was no way we could reach it so we got out one of our snake hooks and poked and prodded for a while and down he came.
     "He fell on us, and then down came another snake, then another. What we didn't know was there was another timber rattler up there along with a water snake. It was quite the experience."
     On the second Thursday of each month, the Izaak Walton Lodge features a speaker. Everyone is invited to attend these presentations.