Snake ID

Don’t know much about copperheads, but don’t think this one was one...
Please tell me I was right to let it go alive.

u right, i think a rat snake.

Yes, NOT a Copperhead.

Well played.

Looks like a very useful rat snake. Good snake, for sure!

Look at his head...it's straight with his body, no definition. Venomous snakes have a much different shape to their head...I always think of it as heart shaped, but whatever, lol. And you can tell by their eyes, if you want to get that close to them.

Correct Rat snake

Head shape is not a reliable ID key. Most nonvenomous snakes will puff up their bodies and flatten their heads to mimic a venomous snake. Western rat snakes like this one will even use a rattlesnake posture and rattle their tails against debris to mimic a rattlesnake. And it fools people all the time.

Well, it's reliable enough for me. And I've seen them do that with their tail, too. It makes me wonder why they go thru all that trouble. I mean, why not mimic a grizzly bear instead of a rattlesnake? He could just rear up and holler RAAWWWRRRR as loud as he could. I'd say screw all that puffin up stuff...….IF I was a rat snake.

I've had one do that to me. He was in our life preserver box eating the mice that had been chewing on our life jackets. I opened the box and he started ratting with his tail. Scared me for a second until I figured it out. LOL.

Interestingly enough, this one did just that. Initial “quick glance” showed the flattened head and made me think copperhead, but then the more I looked at him I saw the streamlined head and round beast eyes which made me think harmless. As I was rounding him up to go outside, he started with the tail thing. Cracked me up...I was like “boy there ain’t no rattles back there so stop all that trying”

I eventually picked him up in the dogs food dish and threw him outside the house. That’s what’s troubling. This snake was lying against my screen doors. I don’t know how he got in as the doors were closed. I have family that would crap a solid brick if they saw that in the house

"A friendly"

As previously mentioned 'head shape' (triangular) is a poor indicator (by itself) as to whether or not a snake is venomous. There are many harmless snakes that either have a fairly triangular head or will flatten their heads to make it look so. The elliptical pupil of the eyes is another clue (for the pit vipers), but again...anomalies exist so that (in itself) should not be used to positively identify a snake.

If we are to use a 'single' feature as a diagnostic tool..it should be the presence of a 'pit' between the eye and nostrils. All of the indigenous Pit Vipers in the U.S. have this. (Rattlesnakes, Copperheads & Moccasins/Cottonmouth).

The Coral Snake (not a Pit Viper but also venomous) does NOT have a pit, has round pupils and does not sport a triangular head....but fortunately is colored such that it is readily identifiable (if you know the pattern).

Lastly (the indigenous snakes of the U.S.) if venomous will have a single row of scales after the Anal Plate/Vent, harmless snakes have two rows.

Of course, many of these identifying features require you to be quite close to the snake in order to make a conclusive identification. So making an I.D. under field conditions becomes understandably difficult for the layperson.

Lmao, I hear ya. My wife found a dead one, about a foot long, in a room we hardly use, lol. She's been quite worried ever since. It gives me plenty of chances to scare the crap right out of her....payback for all the griping she does.

Yes, my wife found a little, bitty Ribbon Snake in the Kitchen and just about freaked out. How it got in the house I have no idea. But I had to listen to threats of 'moving' for about a week. Ridiculous.

Pretty one. Love those little things....