Texas expert debunks viral Facebook post about venomous snakes ...

A viral social media tip about spotting venomous snakes in water has one Central Texas wildlife expert stumped.
The image, which was posted by professional wildlife removal service The Snake Chaser on Facebook, claims that if a snake is swimming on top of water, it's likely venomous, having filled its lungs with air to be able to float.
"If you encounter a snake on top of the water like the snake seen below [above], this is a good indicator of a venomous snake," reads the post. "Common water snakes swim with their bodies under the water so they can dive after fish."
Matt Miklaw, a lead zookeeper at the Austin Zoo, told mySA.com the widely-shared meme fails to mention that all snakes can swim, and do so for different reasons. Miklaw, who specializes in snakes, said species swimming at the top of the water are non-aquatic, but could be venomous or non-venomous. He said any species of snake are "more than capable of diving under the water and will dive to get food or escape predation."
"There really isn't any information to be had in terms of identifying a snake based on its position when swimming," he said.
If swimmers do happen to see a snake taking a dip in the water, Miklaw suggests leaving it alone.
"They aren't going to be aggressive in the water and the best thing to do is just slowly move away and let them go about their business," he said.
Miklaw went on to reinforce the important role snakes fill in an ecosystem.
"The important thing to remember is all snakes, venomous and nonvenomous, fill a very important ecological niche and help prevent all sorts of issues — including disease control — by keeping the rodent populations down. Space and respect is always the best advice when you stumble upon a snake."
Non-venomous snakes who feel threatened will sometimes pretend to be venomous by flattening their head to look like a diamond. Other species will mimic rattlesnakes and shakes their tails in leaf debris.
"So even those sort of rules for identifying species can be faulty," Miklaw said.
Kelsey Bradshaw is a digital reporter for mySA. She was previously a reporting intern covering Texas politics and government from the Chronicle's Austin Bureau. She is a Texas State University graduate with degrees in journalism and business administration, and previously worked for the Austin American-Statesman, the San Antonio Express-News and the University Star.