Kaylyn, So much of what you posted here is completely false. If this snake were to bite you it would probably not even break the skin. Even if it did this snake is completely harmless (i.e. produces no venom) so you wouldn't get sick even if you let it chew on you. I have kept and bred cornsnakes and have been bitten by dozens of them. Catching a kingsnake and letting it loose under your house or in your yard won't do anything to protect you from other snakes. If there were food and appropriate conditions for a kingsnake in your yard, one would already live there. If you released on there, it would just leave. Saying the only snakes you shouldn't kill are kingsnakes and greensnakes further reinforces the fact that you really know very little about snakes. There are dozens of completely harmless species of snakes in most areas of the country. Kingsnakes are not normally black with white rings. They are only black with white rings in one small part of their range (i.e. the west coast of the US). People don't get mad when you kill snakes because they are scared of them. In fact, just the opposite is true. People kill snakes because they are scared of them. Some people get mad when you kill snakes because killing snakes out of fear and ignorance like this serves no purpose. It doesn't make anyone safer. In fact, trying to kill snakes significantly increases your chances of a bite. People are bitten and hospitalized every year in this country by snakes they were trying to kill. If they had just left them alone, the people would have been unharmed. Lastly, many people come here to learn about snakes so that they won't be afraid and won't need to kill them out of ignorance. When someone posts a question here, they come for information, not old wive's tales. If you are so pathologically afraid of snakes that you need to kill them, I understand. With a bit of education about the realities of snakes, you can dissipate that fear. But spreading fear and misinformation here doesn't contribute to the larger cause.

I was deployed to Iraq in 2004 threw 2005. Saddam Hussain collected exotic animals. I mean exotic animals that killed people and he used them to torture citizens and enemies. I was first stationed at his sons hunting palace. Mainly saw huge fish there but have heard stories of different animals they found and had to clear out. Never saw a python there but did see two cobras. One was alive and was a tan color which was 4 to five feet long and the other was a long black snake that was at least 10ft long. It looked dead and was in a shallow stream. I did not get that close to it. The biggest camel spider I saw was in Camp Arifjohn Kuwait. It was the size of my boot. So it was like ten to 12 inches.

Harmless Midland Ratsnake (juvenile).

I have never encountered a snake coming after me. They feel the vibration of humans walking on the ground and skedaddle . While I've been bitten by three dogs and two cats during my life, I've never had a wild animal attack or bite me. My only concern would be my dogs getting involved but I simply take them inside the house for a while and the snake then goes on its way. A garter snake in May in that same area. I suspect he caught the frog because I didn't hear it after that.