To ask a question about a snake, don't reply to this post, go to the forum home page and start a new post. Your question will get a lot more exposure. Please give us an idea of where you live, as reptiles can often be identified only by locality!

Please do not place messages about killing a snake, and asking what kind it is you have killed! That is like going onto a message board about dogs and telling about torturing one to death, and asking what kind of breed it was. You will likely get "flamed", and likely by the forum owner, depending on his mood that day.

A note about head shape in snakes: Head shape is a totally useless character for identifying a snake, and has nothing to do with whether the serpent is or is not venomous (poisonous). Many harmless snakes, especially when young, have rather large heads. Please describe color, pattern, markings, and habitat where the snake was found. The shape of the head will not help us in any way. Thank you.

Re: reply to what kind was it ?

Posted by Alex, forum owner on May 3, 2005, 1:22 am, in reply to "reply to what kind was it ?"
66.169.83.133

--Previous Message-- : Hi thank you for getting back to me on my : question to "what was it".I : live in eastern north carolina.The : snakes looked young and they were about : a foot and a half.The spots were not : round but close to heart shaped or half : heart shaped.I hope this info will help : you with its species.Please get back to : me on it.THANKS DRP. : Hi Donnie. It doesn't sound like Copperheads, as they have dark bands that are narrowest in the middle on a lighter ground color. You do have the Southern Copperhead there, but they are timid snakes, and do not attack people unless the human tries to hurt them. I have seen studies where someone was picking wild snakes up with an artificial hand, and the Copperheads almost never bit! As I said, timid. Yours sound like either young Corn Snakes, or baby Yellow or Black Rat Snakes. Corn Snakes keep the blotches all their lives, but the Rat Snakes will change color to either all black, or a greenish yellow color with four black stripes. Rat and Corn snakes are both harmless; I have caught Rat Snakes many times in the field, moving them out of roads.

---

Message Thread: reply to what kind was it ? - donnie r pate May 1, 2005, 10:56 pm Re: reply to what kind was it ? - Alex, forum owner May 3, 2005, 1:22 am « Back to thread

---

Reply

The Appalachian Naturalist