Couple days ago on our morning walk down the street that is bordered by some heavy brush that is cut back from the street by the city, I saw a snake I am not familair with. He was almost at curbside in a leafy "grove" weeds about 12"s high. When I saw him at first I thought maybe it was a broken fan belt or similar from one fo the work trucks that had been down there in recent weeks. When I stopped to look at him and push the 2 yr old Lab out of the way, the snake spurted towards me, stopped for a few seconds, bunched up in some loops, not coils, rushed at me again and struck in mid air at me about knee high as I backed out of the way.
Pretty looking snake, all glossy black, long narrow head like a rat snake with white'ish green under his head and neck, and belly too I assume. HIs head was 12-18"s off the ground at the top of his strike. Scurried off after he missed me, but as aggressive as a water moccasin that's been distrubed. The snake was about as big around as the front section of my little finger. and was not a Pit Viper for sure. The ? is yes/no on poisonus? didn't look like one but ya never know and I am not at all familiar with the snakes down here in the deep impassable woods of mixed pine and hardwoods around me.
Everything happened too fast for me to get my phone out and take some pics, and I'm not seeing any more snakes of any kind in that area that we walk by or thru every morning. This curb side weedy area is mowed irregularly by the City, and backs up to a wall of 30-40' tall bamboo bordering a 5 acre house lot, so there is lots of critters of all kinds in there I'm sure, and feral hogs are common every nite at the bottom of the hill in a heavily wooded creek bottom. Ron
It is TIME for Term Limits, cause Politicians are like childrens diapers and for the same reasons...Robin Williams
"These are the times that try men's soul's"...Thomas Paine
"Those who fail to learn from History are doomed to repeat it" ....Santayana
Probably a juvenile Black Mamba! LoL! I have seen coachwhips act like that when cornered or approached so I concur that it was probably the black version. The ones where I live are tannish brown generally.
Probably a juvenile Black Mamba! LoL! I have seen coachwhips act like that when cornered or approached so I concur that it was probably the black version. The ones where I live are tannish brown generally.
We used to have more of the tan ones. Now we have more of the black ones.
Yup! DAT's the one for sure. Do they bite and I assume they are not poisinous. For sure gonna be on the lookout in that weedy patch for those kinda critters., and only about 50 feet from where I saw the rat snake earlier this year.& 50/75' downhil from where the copperhead was squished in the street with tire tracks on his back. Ron
It is TIME for Term Limits, cause Politicians are like childrens diapers and for the same reasons...Robin Williams
"These are the times that try men's soul's"...Thomas Paine
"Those who fail to learn from History are doomed to repeat it" ....Santayana
Yup! DAT's the one for sure. Do they bite and I assume they are not poisinous. For sure gonna be on the lookout in that weedy patch for those kinda critters., and only about 50 feet from where I saw the rat snake earlier this year.& 50/75' downhil from where the copperhead was squished in the street with tire tracks on his back. Ron
They all bite. Even the little geckos under the porch light will bite you when caught.
A small non venomous snake's bite won't hurt, but of they are big enough they will leave a nasty wound. They have backward pointing teeth that will tear you up and might even get hung up on you!
".... backward facing teeth can leave a nasty wound..." Sounds like best idea is not to attempt to "play around" with one of these. Either get away from it PDQ or kill it on the spot . Got bit one time by one of the many monster sized tarantula's that hung out in the finger thick briar and underbrush across the county road from the Texoma house...looked exactly like a 2 fang marks a cotton mouth might leave but had seen no snakes that day. My calf swole up for couple days, getting bigger every day, despite my homegrown best efforts at controling the swelling with Ace bandages and Neosporin.
Local VA doc took one look at and sez Snakebite? Nope Tarantula bite most likely...Gave me a BIG anitbiotic shot, and rolled and squeezed the swelling agains my shin bone until he "milked" the heavy green custard thick pus out of the bite marks and dressed the puncture sites REAL tight. 3 days later ALL the swelling was gone and no scarring either. Learned long time ago that you "Don't fool around with Mother Nature". Ron
It is TIME for Term Limits, cause Politicians are like childrens diapers and for the same reasons...Robin Williams
"These are the times that try men's soul's"...Thomas Paine
"Those who fail to learn from History are doomed to repeat it" ....Santayana
First year of college I had a biology prof that told the class on Day 1 "If it has a mouth, yes it will bite." 40 years later and I still haven't proven him wrong.
Silver spurs and gold tequila keep me hanging on. Pretty girls and old cantinas give me shelter from the storm.