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Reptiles & Amphibians

Snake Id

13 years ago

Found a snake in my pool timer last weekend. I am in Florida. A local state park ranger said it was a baby black racer, another thought it could be a pigmy rattlesnake. It was quite aggressive, striking repeatedly as I relocated it to my wooded area.

Any idea?

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Comments (8)

dragonflydee
13 years ago
We call them Bandeds around here.Nonvenomous...eats frogs,minnows,
Will catch what it's size enables and musk you too if you catch a big one.
Nippy? They all are...about like grabbing a BLK racer...the wrong way.
They are true water snakes they will dive...stay under and swim close to
Bottom swiftly then come up to surface some distance away and peep back
Where they saw you with just the nares and eyes above water.
Pit vipers like Cottonmouths will swim with heads up out of the water;maybe
They like to keep the pits clear.?...I dunno...
Will Cottons dive?Of course they will.
DD
User
13 years ago
That isn't a watersnake. It is a juvenile Cornsnake (Pantherophis guttatus). You can tell by the spearpoint pattern on its head.
It looks darker than normal because it is opaque (getting ready to shed) as indicated by its "blue" eyes.
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So glad that Hissy has found a good temporary home. I've always loved snakes and have had them as pets since I was a child. Later, when I was in grad school and living in an apartment just off campus, my much younger brother brought a rat snake home from scout camp. Unfortunately, my father, who was terrified of snakes, announced that either the snake went or he would go, so naturally I took him off my brother's hands and installed him in a nice herpetarium in my apartment (at which point I discovered just who my friends were and weren't!) Kaa (as I named him, from Kipling of course) stayed with me until I had to move to another location, at which point I found a new home for him.I would love to have a snake pet again, but now I'm in a New York City apartment and haven't the room it would need. I'm hoping that Hissy will find a wonderful new home. Thanks to you for being so kind in rescuing him even though you weren't familiar with snakes!
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Nice Pictures! I can answer your question. That black snake is a black rat snake. Was that midland water snake (subspecies of the northern water snake) found at LaRue Road. I have never found a midland water there before. In fact I don't think I know anyone who has seen one there either. I'm sure they have a good population there, but it surprises me that you saw one. They generally inhabit lakes, creeks and rivers. One doesn't usually see a midland or northern water snake in cypress swamp. I have seen them up north in oxbow lakes. I did see a midland water snake at Mingo swamp in a ditch, but that is far as my northern water snake experience goes. Nice find. Ryan
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I google for "__animal name__" of "__location__" and it works quite well http://www.virginiaherpetologicalsociety.com/reptiles/snakes/snakes_of_virginia.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_water_snake http://www.chesapeakebay.net/fieldguide/critter/northern_water_snake Northern Water Snake baby ... they are strongly marked compared to the adults.
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This is not a "coralsnake" in that it is not a venomous elapid snake like our US "Coralsnakes". The red next to yellow "rule" 1. only works in the US, except that it only works some of the time in some areas of the US. Some harmless snakes are red/yellow/black and have the red-against -yellow patterns. 2. only works some of the time in the US. Coralsnakes, like all other living species, are variable. I have seen coralsnakes that were almost solid black, had no black pigment at all, or had no yellow bands at all. Color is only reliable for identification if you don't mind being wrong some of the time, and in that case what's the point of the rule?
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dragonflydee
13 years ago
The Brille I had to enlarge to even see.However,when I keep snakes(usually
As a save or rehab) I do check sheds to make sure the eye caps are there.
I only keep species native,but that's just me.I guess you could say they sort
Of come in and out the back door.I live in south Al between two cypress
Swamps on abt 200 acres of woods,mixed timber but the big tract is pine.
I feed deer in my front yard lots of birds.But,my concern has always been
On conservation of butterflies and snakes because I think these two species
Are endangered.Global not just America.
I usually post on the Butterfly Garden Forum.
DD
fog_sez
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks, my first opinion was a young corn snake.
bogturtle
13 years ago
And a baby black racer was the first thing I thought of. See them all the time in Summer, here.
danetherton
13 years ago
Young Corn. Remember that the pattern and color are different in FL Corns from the ones kept as pets which are originally from SC.
curlyrebel
13 years ago
cool pic.....nice relocate!
osagebow
12 years ago
Nice job on staying calm and not killing him. Hopefully you get to see him again freshly shed.

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