Editorial and accuracy policy
Snake Finder is a safety-adjacent reference, so accuracy and honesty matter more than reach. This page explains how our content is sourced, how we keep it accurate, what we will not do, and how to tell us when we get something wrong.
How content is sourced
Every factual claim on this site is grounded in a named, authoritative source. Species presence comes from verified occurrence records, venom status comes from public-health agencies, and natural-history descriptions come from established herpetology. We do not publish opinions about whether a snake is dangerous, and we do not fill gaps with guesses. The full source list and build process are documented on our data and methodology page.
How we keep it accurate
- Pages are generated from structured data, then checked against the sources they cite, so the same fact does not drift from page to page.
- Venom classifications and emergency guidance are pinned to current CDC and NIOSH guidance, not to memory or to general web content.
- When a source dataset is refreshed or a fact is corrected, dependent pages are regenerated so the site stays consistent with the underlying data.
- Reader-reported errors are reviewed against primary sources before any change is made.
No original medical or handling advice
Snake Finder does not provide original medical, veterinary, or snake-handling advice. We aggregate and relay first-aid guidance from public-health authorities, and we always point to professional help for real encounters. Nothing here should be used to decide that a snake is safe to approach, handle, or move. When in doubt, treat any snake as potentially dangerous and contact a licensed professional.
AI and automation transparency
Because this site covers tens of thousands of counties and species, pages are assembled automatically from structured datasets, and we use software tools, including AI, to help compile, format, and draft text. Automation is never the source of truth. Every generated page is constrained to the underlying records and reviewed against the cited sources, and a human is responsible for the templates, the data mappings, and the editorial standards applied across the site. We disclose this openly rather than present automated output as if it were hand-written by an expert.
Corrections process
If you spot an error, an outdated fact, a misidentified photo, or anything that reads as unsafe, email us at corrections@snakefinder.com. Helpful reports include the page URL, what looks wrong, and a source if you have one. We review every report against primary sources, prioritize anything safety-related, correct the underlying data or template when a report holds up, and reply to let you know the outcome.
Photo credits and removal
Species photos come from iNaturalist and Wikimedia Commons contributors and are shown for educational identification, with the photographer credited on every image. Most are openly licensed; for rarer species we may use a Creative Commons non-commercial (CC BY-NC) photo where no open-licensed image exists. If you are the photographer and would like your photo removed or your attribution corrected, email corrections@snakefinder.com with the page URL and we will remove or fix it promptly.