Are Oklahoma Garter Snakes Poisonous?
NO snake is poisonous, since a poison is something you have to swallow or inhale in order for it to harm you. Some snakes have VENOM, which has to be injected into the blood stream to cause harm. Garter Snakes actually DO have very mild venom and enlarged fangs at the rear of their mouths, rather than in the front, like a Rattlesnake’s, but their venom is so weak and their fangs so small that unless you have a rare allergy to the venom, it cannot harm a human. Garters, Water Snakes, and Hognoses are classified as “Opistoglyph” snakes, which means that they have enlarged rear fangs and a specialized gland called a “Duvernoy’s gland” for venom production. Most Opistoglyph snakes are harmless to humans, but a few, like the Boomslang of Africa, can cause fatalities.
