Forest Rat Snake

I spotted my first snake of the season, a nonvenomous forest rat snake, while hiking in the mountains this morning. I was able to snap a quick photo to show my daughter, but the photo is not good enough to post online. My daughter is scared of snakes, so she always asks me to take point when we go hiking. I am glad that she is cautious, as I often come across venomous snakes while hiking.

Growing up in rural Texas, I was adept at spotting as well as identifying snakes at a young age. I had probably even killed my first snake by time I was my daughter’s age. One does not kill any creature without good reason, of course. Even potentially dangerous snakes play an important role in the ecosystem. Venomous snakes near home pose serious danger to loved ones, however.

I have not killed any snakes in Japan, at least not on purpose… One time, I was descending a mountain at a fast pace and crossed a foot bridge over a highway near the bottom. A snake happened to be crossing from the other direction and slithered off of the bridge in fear. It may have survived the fall, but it did not survive getting run over by a truck. It was unfortunate timing for the snake, but I was thankful that the snake did not fall into the bed of the truck and later surprise the owner!