Snake Crafts for Kids, Plus Thoughts on State Snakes

I put together a graphic highlighting some of my favorite snake crafts for kids, including my latest project, the rattlesnake. 

 

I mentioned in that post that two states have named a rattlesnake as their official State Reptile. I don't know nearly enough about reptiles to know if, out of every single reptile species native to Arizona and West Virginia, those two rattlesnake species best represent their state. So I did a little digging and found the delightful Life is Short But Snakes Are Long blog by Andrew Durso. It hasn't been updated since 2018, which is a shame because it's really interesting. Most interesting to me, and most relevant to my own blog, is Durso's 2-part series What the State Snakes Should Be.

You should read the entire article. But in case you don't, I'll give a few spoilers. First, Durso feels that both Arizona and West Virginia got it right - their respective State Reptile rattlesnakes are what he would choose as State Snake. Second, Durso thinks Alabama, Michigan, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Wyoming should also have rattlesnake species as their State Snake. He names other harmful-to-humans  snakes for some of the other states. Third, Durso feels the racer is a good candidate for a National Snake. I'm not opposed. 

Here are some other articles from Durso's blog that I enjoyed reading:

• Basics of Snake Skulls
• How Many Snakes are Venomous and How Many Are Constrictors?
• What the Provincial Snakes of Canada Should Be
• Are There Any Countries Without Snakes?

Enjoy!