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Reptiles & Amphibians

Can anyone please identify this snake?

20 years ago

We found this little snake while cleaning up our yard. The only poisonous possibility in this area is a Copperhead. We live north of Atlanta. I don't think it is a Copperhead but I'm not sure what the babies look like and this is definitely a youngster, maybe 12 inches in length overall. If it's not poisonous, I'll release it in the woods behind our house.

Anyone????????

Thanks!

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Comments (5)

hoosierherper
20 years ago
That looks like a brown snake. Definitely not venomous
jamez
20 years ago
Neat snake. It's not venomous,looks like a brown snake to me. Heres a picture of a copperhead.
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Can you help identify this snake?
Q
Comments (2)
True, it may be a rat snake, but... do rat snakes rattle the end of their tails like a rattler would? That's what really threw me (after I thought about it). I mean... do ALL snakes do that when aggrivated? O.o?
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Can you help identify this snake?
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Comments (9)
It's not a copperhead. Pit vipers (all poisonous snakes in the US but the coral snake) have slitted pupils like a cats. Yours one definitely has round pupils. And you're right that it's not shaped correctly to be a copperhead. Just think of all the crickets that little beauty was eating in your garage! Try the reptile/amphibian forum if no one here can identify it. Here is a link that might be useful: Reptile forum
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Please help us to identify a snake
Q
Comments (3)
A baby Timber rattler would have a small rattle, or at least a button, on the tip of it's tail. Rattlers also have wider spacing on the blotches and a light head with a dark streak. http://kylehorner.blogspot.com/2010/10/pit-vipers.html has a good young one. I'm not familiar with the non-venomous snakes of that area, but it might be a juvenile ratsnake. Here is a link that might be useful: Snakes of VA
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Can anyone help to identify this snake?
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Comments (1)
I think it is a Striped Cave Racer scientific name = (Elaphe taeniura) It is non- venomous
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DoggieMom
Original Author
20 years ago
Thanks so much for your replies! I'll go ahead and release the little guy. Thankfully I've never found a Copperhead in my yard or the woods behind my house, but some of my neighbors have. I have a cocker spaniel that loves to poke around out there so I'm always concerned when I see a snake that I'm not sure about.
Thanks again!
viridis
20 years ago
Those are the most commonly mistaken snakes for copperheads in my neighborhood. Brown snakes rarely exceed about 8 inches. One way to tell besides the fact that copperheads have a more triangular head, a stockier body, and more of a slit for a pupil instead of round, is that most young copperheads that size have a flourecent yellow tail used for attracting prey. It usually fades with age after the snake grows about a foot.
DoggieMom
Original Author
20 years ago
viridis - thanks for the info. I've seen many pictures of adult Copperheads and a couple in real life, but just wasn't sure what they looked like when very young. There is a park in the North Georgia mountains called Unicoi State Park where you can visit Anna Ruby Falls which is a nice, fairly easy hike, and very beautiful. About 20 years ago I saw a Copperhead sunning itself on the rocks at the falls with people all around. Recently someone told me that there is now a warning sign on the trail for Copperheads.

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May be a long shot. Snake skin ID

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