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Reptiles & Amphibians

Help ID a snake

6 years ago

Today was day 2 of my "clear the overgrown bed" day & I'm thinking to myself - I don't wanna accidentaly kill another harmless snake like I did yesterday. So I start pulling out the stuff by hand & next thing I know, this thing is crawling towards me, yikes!!!

I'm in North Dallas & I've seen these snakes on n off on the property. From what I understand, these are beneficial & harmless to humans. My neighbor calls it a garden snake, online some called it a garter snake but I think it's a rough earth snake. Although it did seem longer by a few inches for a rough earth snake. What do you guys think?

Here's a video link(looked good on my phone but not too good on youtube) - https://youtu.be/qttUO8g4f_w

Comments (4)

Sharon McKenzie
6 years ago
It is one of the Earth Snakes, too far from the lens to tell if it's a Rough or Smooth. There is no such thing as a "Garden" Snake, by the way; that's a mispronunciation of Garter, and this is definitely no Garter Snake.
Me Is Me
Original Author
6 years ago
Thanks Sharon! How can I tell if it's a rough vs smooth kind? Any difference in their habits & the level of caution I should have around them?
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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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That picture is good enough for a definitive identification. Your snake is a juvenile black rat snake or juvenile gray rat snake. Oak snake is the common local name for gray rat snakes. Juvenile black rat snakes and gray rat snakes both look like gray rat snakes and the gray rat snake maintains its pattern throughout its life while black rat snakes lose their distinctive patterning and become all black with a white underside as they age and get larger. Given your location in northeast Georgia it is more likely to be a juvenile black rat snake or an intergrade between the black and gray rat snake. In any rate it is most definitely a rat snake. They are harmless.
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Thanks to all of those who responded to my query in helping me identify it. Like I mentioned in the email (thanks wduzak for your support) I do NOT hate snakes but I am very uncomfortable around it). The glue boards are for catching any thing that tries to come into the garage. I have a young one who is on the verge of running. I live near a green belt where there is construction going on and I am almos sure of seeing more of these. This is the fifth one caught. I have seen a rattlesnake as well. If anyone of you is around austin and would be able to rescue snake which gets caught on a glue board i would gladly give it to you'll. But I hate to say this but the glue boards are staying where they are and I cannot compromise on that. Thanks once again for you help. The snake did look pretty though.
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Sharon McKenzie
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
The primary difference between the two species is their scales. Rough Earth Snakes have a ridge running down the center of each scale, called a "keel", while Smooths lack these keels, and given that they are small snakes to begin with, the keels would not be visible except up close. Their habits are pretty much the same, and the only level of caution you need to take around either species is to avoid accidentally injuring one while gardening, since Earth Snakes pose absolutely no threat whatsoever to humans or pets.
User
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
Agreed. It is one of the earthsnakes. Which may be impossible to determine from the video/photo. Depending where you live, one species is usually much more common than the other but which one varies regionally.

My gut instinct says its a Smooth Earth, but I have a 49% chance of being wrong :-)

OK, just noticed you are in Texas. Rough Earthsnakes are very common in gardens in Texas, Smooth are much less common.

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