snake ID

Baby Diamondback Rattlesnake?

Got ran over by a bus ?

It was in a hotel parking lot - only about 6-7 inches long.

Bull snake

Can't tell without a good look of it pupils. Poisones snakes have silts for pupils. I generally never get that close.

Ded Snek

A dead one!

Bull

I have him soaking in some tequila, so will take a closer look tomorrow.

Looks like a bull snake

definitely a bull snake, used to catch them when I was kid, some have nasty dispositions. good rat killers

'Venomous'. And that would only hold 'generally' true of the Three indigenous Pit Vipers in the United States. It does not hold true for the Coral Snake (which has round pupils). Even the pit vipers could on occasion have an anomaly and have rounded or mostly rounded pupils. But using elliptical pupils alone for distinguishing venomous from non venomous snakes....might cause you problems. So there are others things to look for.

The Copperhead, Rattlesnake and Moccasin all have prominent 'pits' in front of the eyes (almost look like nostrils). All of these (and their various species) are venomous. The coral snake however does not have either pits or elliptical pupils, but obviously is venomous.

A common snake in some places in Florida (not indigenous but in good numbers) are the Python and Boas both of which have elliptical pupils but are not venomous.

A not so well known feature of the indigenous venomous snakes in the U.S. is the scale count on the underbelly (past the anal vent).

Venomous snakes (of the U.S.) will have a single row of scales (past the anal vent) Non-Venomous will have two rows.

Yep, looks like a squished baby Bull Snake to me.

I agree about it being a baby bull snake.

And they dang sure can be a bit nasty and do kill the heck out of mice/rats.
I had a big one that lived in my tractor barn for a couple years and more than a few times he skeert the piss outta me. lol

I said I wouldn't ID here anymore, but I'll make an exception for you, JP. That's a juvenile plainbellied water snake (nerodia erythrogaster). Also, flintknapper ID'd one as a juvenile rat snake the other day, and it was actually a prairie kingsnake (lamproprltis calligaster). Been driving me crazy.

If you want to make a sticky for snake IDs, I'd use all my resources to make sure they were identified correctly. Professional herpetologists and all.

That would take all the fun out of it.

You have a link to that? I don't remember doing that or for that matter I.D.ing any snake recently except for a Buttermilk Racer unless you'd like to challenge that too.


Maybe the post below is what you were referring to and that's a Rat Snake all day long. The most common snake on my property and probably in all of East Texas.


https://texashuntingforum.com/forum...ke/Search/true/snakes-moving#Post8235472


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_rat_snake

https://www.inaturalist.org/guide_taxa/776606

bull/gopher snake

Amending/Correcting a post of mine above.

I contacted a professional Herpetologist I know and his impression is that the snake in question IS a Prairie Kingsnake and cited his reason for it.

So in the interest of being accurate....I wanted to state that and concede that the guy with the really long name was indeed correct.

The answer I received:


"My initial impression is that it is a prairie kingsnake from looking at the pattern of blotches. There is a lot of variability in coloration and patterning in both species of snakes and that can be confusing at times. One separating difference between the rat snake and kingsnake is with the scales. Scales on the upper body of the kingsnake will be smooth, on the rat snake each scale will have a small central keel. This is a definite way to separate the snakes."[i][/i]

My reply:

Good enough, Thank You Sir.

Correct answer here.

You're a good man Flintknapper!

Some would argue that. But I am an honest person and if I've made a mistake (and know about it) I will correct it.

Same.

You be the man.

I would really appreciate and enjoy a permanent "snake ID" thread! That is a great idea.

Marc

I don't get any enjoyment from correcting people when they're wrong about an ID, and I absolutely despise arguing with folks about it. This time doesn't give me more satisfaction than last time,, or the time before that,, or the time before that.

I don't think I'm smarter or more educated than anyone here. The fact of the matter is, I identify more critters than any of y'all, and I'm constantly learning. I see a few hundred snakes a year on various foums and groups. Dozens of them are blurry pictures or videos. Dozens more are pictures of pieces of snakes that have been chopped up by a lawnmower or squished by a car. I've become proficient at using ID keys like your herpetologist friend, and I used the same data that he did (and a couple other keys) to ID that prairie king.

I'm good at snake IDs but I will always ask for a 2nd or 3rd or 4th opinion from people way smarter than me if I'm not 100% confident about an ID. Hopefully this will be the last time you have to concede when you're wrong, and give me a chance to explain why I make my ID next time, instead of telling me it's "such and such snake all day."

It's unlikely we will be conversing. I will just be plain about it. You have a pomposity about you that rubs me about 3 kinds of the wrong way.

Nonetheless....when you are right....you are right. I was more than happy to admit that and correct my mistake. But that's about the extent of it.

No reply required.

Both middle fingers up high at you, as usual.

So, it seems that you two are now good to go and ready to go share a pitcher or cold brew and a couple steaks!

Good grief. Those last few posts were not necessary at all. Why does everyone always have to have the last word? Insecurity???

I am guessing there is some history there. Otherwise not sure why that escalated so quickly.

SOOO, is there going to be a permanent thread for SnakeID or not?

Should have made a poll. Figure it out. My guess is no.

this does not fall under political correct....70 yrs ago less 1% used the term venomous, it was poisones...same as, is it a mag or clip, when I was twelve I worked Sat's, saved enough to buy a .22 w/clip, thats what they called them.