COFFEE COUNTY, Ala. (WDHN) — The Alabama Extension Office gave a crash course on venomous snake handling training on Monday.

The tiny coral snake is considered to have the most toxic venom of Alabama’s six poisonous species of snakes.

Fortunately, they are not often found in the extremely hot and dry summer.

Snake experts advise folks to be extra careful when walking in the backyard or anywhere else in the wild. With more than 40 species of snakes in the state, the far majority are not poisonous.

“Towards the end of the summer, it was very hot which makes snakes more active in the evening time. So as you are out walking around in the evening maybe have a flashlight out with you. Be aware of your surroundings to make sure you don’t step on one or come across one,” says Bence Carter.

Carter says there are several varieties of rattlesnakes, copperheads, and water moccasins as the most common venomous serpents one may find in the Alabama countryside.