In summer, they lurk mostly in the shadows, under piles of wood or camouflaged among leaves and roughage, and contrary to what many people think, they mean humans no harm. In all, 46 species of snake make their homes in Georgia. Here in Chatham County about 33 such species live, and among all the varieties of slithering reptiles only six native snakes in the state are venomous. In fact, as a whole, snakes are largely misunderstood creatures that want as little to do with people as the majority of humans want to do with them, said John Jensen, a wildlife biologist with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Leave them alone, he said, and they won’t bother you. “The vast majority of bites occur when folks are messing with the snakes — handling them, trying to grab them or trying to kill them,” Jensen said.