On his eight acres of land in West Palm Beach, including lions, tigers and tigers, perhaps the most dangerous area on Mark McCarthy's animal sanctuary is contained to a relatively small space.
"Locked cages are required by law," McCarthy says, inside his snake house where there are 80 poisonous cold blooded killers.
He has two of the four venomous snakes native to south Florida, the eastern diamondback and pygmy rattlesnake. Be on the lookout for those two, and the water moccasin and coral snake.
"So, when the weather starts warming up they start becoming more active. First thing they're going to be looking for is water and food," McCarthy says, the director at McCarthy's Wildlife Sanctuary.
McCarthy's pond is a good measure for drought.
"I would say this is about the 3rd driest I've ever seen if," he says. That can bring snake out too.
The good news is you are unlikely to get bit by one.
"The majority of people that get bit by venomous snakes are usually trying to kill the snake," he says.
In Mark's case, he was trying to feed one last summer.
"I threw a rat in to feed the eastern diamondback and my hand went a little bit too far," he says.
It's still wise to not risk it.
"Anytime you see a reptile, a gator, some type of snake you don't know what kind it is, its best to just leave them alone," he says.
We're lucky out here on the East Coast. The loudest rattle we heard today was from the western diamondback.
"More people are bit by this particular rattlesnake in the United States than any other rattlesnake," he says.
Some other places to keep in mind where snakes like to hang out, think of areas whenever a rodent might be, the snakes preferred meal.
