CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- As the weather gets warmer, we're continuing to see snakes surface across the Charlotte area.
With so many snake sightings in the area recently, Cyrus Bahram says it can put them in a pretty negative light.
"They're not this scary monster hiding in the bush trying to attack you," Bahram said.
But a tool you can use right on your smartphone could help you to protect your family and pets if you come across one. That's why the recent Davidson College grad created the app "Snakes of North Carolina" last year.
"We really wanted something to put something out there that people could use to see it in a different light," Bahram said. "See it as something cool, not necessarily scary. Promote fascination over fear."
He says he was hoping for 500 downloads, but it's already at 3,600. You can learn about the different types of snakes and where they live. It's also useful if you do happen to see a snake, if you want to know what kind it is.
"You can scroll to the very bottom of the app, copperhead's right there, click on it and you can look at the pictures to help you out," Bahram said.
Safety tips are a part of the app as well, if you or your pet does get bit.
"I really like the snake bite tool where it tells you what to do if bitten by a snake, what not to do, and it's got a direct line to the poison control center," Bahram said.
Bahram hopes it helps to educate the public about snakes and remove the bad stigma they get. He says the ones here aren't aggressive and are looking to just be left alone.
"You have to literally put your hand out in it's face to get bit," Bahram said. "It's not going to stare you down and chase you."
Bahram doesn't have any plans to expand the app at the moment.