Ok, I just got the crap scared out of me. I am 55 years old and have lived in SW Iowa all my life. I have lived here 36 years and my grandparents lived here 50 years. As far as snakes go I only see a few Garter Snakes, an occasional Bull Snake, and one Blue Racer when I was about 10, until today that is. I think I just saw a Rattlesnake. It was only a quick look as it slithered into the tall grass but it had a diamond pattern on it. It was not a large snake, 2-3 feet I'd say and about as big around as a 1" pipe. It was vibrating it's tail very rapidly but it sounded more like a bumble bee than a rattle. So my question is was this a rattler or is there another snake that mimics the rattler by vibrating it's tail? The last report of a rattler I heard of in this area was back in the 1960's. I may never walk through the tall grass again, yikes!

From the head shape, it is NOT a rattlesnake. that means it's a beneficial snake that will eat mice and voles and other pests.

Yes, it's a juvenile Black Rat Snake(Pantherophis obsoletta), a totally harmless and very beneficial snake to have around. He'll be your first line of defense at keeping rodents out of the basement.

Yeah, kidhorn2, WHY? Is it THAT difficult to simply learn something about snakes, and how to ID them? Seriously, I've taught second graders to do that, and we have quite a few venomous species in the Southeast where I live. You aren't exactly making yourself out to seem very intelligent by that statement. Explain to me this logic: if you know for a fact that dogs kill an average of 30 people per year in the US and send another 3 MILLION to the hospital, whereas snakes kill less than 5 people on average per year, why does it make more sense to hate snakes and not dogs? I can look at a snake and tell right away if it's venomous, and therefore potentially dangerous, but even a lifetime growing up around dogs and breeding dogs has not allowed me to be able to glance at a random dog and determine if that dog will bite or attack. I have far more reason to be concerned about a dog, than a snake. Even with a venomous snake, I have tools that allow me to safely pick it up and relocate it. It's easier, believe me, to pick up a large rattler than an angry 30-pound dog, and I've done both.