# Snake Identification?



## AmberLops (Jun 25, 2019)

Hello!
Yesterday I had a huge snake in the yard and I can't figure out what kind of snake it was...
It was black with golden/red diamonds along it's back...it's belly was black and it had no rattle.
It moved really fast with it's head up, above the ground...kind of like a cobra but it didn't have a hood.
And it moved FAST!
When I went to grab it, it charged at me, then it slithered under my outdoor rabbit hutches. I grabbed it and it was trying to strike at me...this thing was at least 6 feet long.
I researched forever yesterday looking at all the snakes around here ad it doesn't look like any of them.
The last black snake I caught was a rat snake and I knew right away because of that odor they release.
If I was guessing, I would say it looked most like a Kingsnake but apparently none of the kingsnakes around here have diamonds....
Any ideas??


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## AmberLops (Jun 25, 2019)

@Mike CHS 
@CntryBoy777 
@greybeard 
@B&B Happy goats


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## CntryBoy777 (Jun 25, 2019)

Just remember, pics can be of great help....but, understand not being prepared....if I had to make a guess on the description....and in your location....I would say that it could be a scarlet, corn, or milk snake.....however, another thing ya have to remember is, some people get snakes as pets because of the "novelty" of them, but once they reach a size that is bigger than they wish to deal with, or the variety they chose has aggressive tendencies, but didn't have any problems until they did.....the knee jerk reaction is to turn them loose....or, it could have escaped its enclosure.....if this is the case.....it could be a kind of boa or python.....many of them are aggressive and most any snake will become aggressive if agitated...."survival mode".....there is only 1 that I know of that is the least aggressive of sizeable snakes and that would be a ball python.....remember, there aren't any that are "territorial", so they won't stay or reside in an area if the smell of prey is not around....they are true hunters and are constantly moving.....they will rest 2-5 days in a spot if they have eaten for it to digest before moving and hunting again, but only have to eat a decent meal once a month to sustain life....sorry, I couldn't be of more help to ya!!.....


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## greybeard (Jun 25, 2019)

"Momma Brang me the hoe!!!"

(sounds like a coachwhip or black racer. Racers are notorious for not backing down)


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## B&B Happy goats (Jun 25, 2019)

Girl what are you doing trying to grab a unkown snake   next time grab a shovel,  remove it's  head from its  body...then make friends with it and post pictures of the two of you together ......


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## Mike CHS (Jun 25, 2019)

I'm adding a pretty good link showing the snakes in our area plus a few that aren't common around us.

https://www.outdooralabama.com/snakes/snakes-color


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## CntryBoy777 (Jun 25, 2019)

The behavior sounds like it could be a racer, but they are white to light yellow on the belly and don't have a pattern on their back....the raising up off the ground is a classic behavior of them and they don't back down very easily....the scales on top of the head can identify many snakes too, but most don't care to look that close.....


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## AmberLops (Jun 25, 2019)

B&B Happy goats said:


> Girl what are you doing trying to grab a unkown snake   next time grab a shovel,  remove it's  head from its  body...then make friends with it and post pictures of the two of you together ......


It was under my rabbits!! I had to get it...and it was moving fast!
I'm not afraid of snakes. I looked for a rattle, I looked at it's pupils and for the heat-sensing pits on it's face..i was sort of careful 
I don't want to kill it! if it was a rattlesnake I might have killed it....


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## AmberLops (Jun 25, 2019)

Thanks @CntryBoy777 @Mike CHS  and @greybeard
It was those diamonds that threw me off...I've never seen that.
And it definitely wasn't a boa or a python...it was thin built. I know pictures would have been helpful but I didn't have a chance to grab the camera.
And thank you for the link! I'll take a look at that and see if any look like the one I saw 
I've never seen a snake hold it's head up like that...just cobras but I know it wasn't a cobra!


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## B&B Happy goats (Jun 26, 2019)

You just had some crazy weather your way, I'm  sure LOTS of critters are moving  around searching for new homes....watch where you step


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## AmberLops (Jun 26, 2019)

I know! I have a frog living in one of the water-filled tarps outside and the bugs are unreal right now!
After looking at that list and pictures on the internet for hours, I still have no clue what that snake was...hopefully it's the only one!
I saw a couple of rat snakes today but no more unknown ones


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## B&B Happy goats (Jun 26, 2019)

Maybe someone let it loose ?


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## AmberLops (Jun 26, 2019)

Hmmm...maybe ?
I'll do some research and find out if it looks like some kind of 'exotic' snake


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## AmberLops (Jun 26, 2019)

Kind of looked like this...but it didn't have any white bands like the one in the picture, and the markings were more gold than red.
Apparently this one is some kind of corn snake/rat snake hybrid


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## greybeard (Jun 26, 2019)

Genetics (and their one off mutations) being what they are, any individual as an outlier can look completely different than that species' historic phenotype.


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## CntryBoy777 (Jun 26, 2019)

Within the snake family there are many many of them who's patterns and colors will change with each "shed"....just as bird patterns will change with the first few molts, an eagle dosen't get the mature feathers until they are 5yrs old.....there is a major difference between a hatchling gray rat snake and the mature one too.....all water snakes have aggressive tendencies, some more than others....but, don't have to reside in water.....there is only 1 natural snake that is venomous that have round pupils....the coral....all others have "cat eyes" and are more nocturnal, they are usually resting during the day these are the classic "pit vipers".......


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## AmberLops (Jun 26, 2019)

Thanks guys for the helpful info!!
I'm investing in a snake-grabber. That way I won't have to get so close and pick it up with my hands


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## Bunnylady (Jun 27, 2019)

When you said it was a slender 6-footer, I figured it would most likely be a Rat Snake or one of their relatives. While the Corn Snake is usually thought of as being generally reddish in color, the coloring is highly variable. In captivity, the Corn Snake is bred in a variety of color morphs, but even wild Corn Snakes can be brown or gray; if I had to pick a single species, that would be my likeliest candidate.

With the exception of the Coral Snake, the native venomous snakes are all thick-bodied for their respective lengths. There are numerous thick-bodied snakes that are non-venomous, but my rule of thumb has always been, if you can't get a positive I.D on the snake, don't handle it.


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## AmberLops (Jun 27, 2019)

I thought at first that it was a rat snake...but the coloring was just really strange. And the fact that it moved with its head above ground sounds like a racer...but the belly was solid black.
Do corn snakes get that long??
I still have no clue!


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## Bunnylady (Jun 27, 2019)

Yes, Corn Snakes get that long. Normally, the Corn Snake's belly is checkered with black and white (some of its Rat Snake relatives have that feature, too), but I suppose a melanistic morph might have a dark belly. Juvenile Black Racers have reddish blotches on a lighter background; I suppose it might be possible for an individual to maintain partial juvenile coloration as an adult (I see a lot of adult-sized Green Rat Snakes that have both stripes and blotches, and as the snake you saw was in the top end of size for Black Racers, it clearly wasn't a juvenile). Incidentally, Black Racers have mainly dark bellies, at least around here.


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## Bunnylady (Jun 27, 2019)

BTW, have I introduced you to The Rat Patrol?


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## frustratedearthmother (Jun 27, 2019)

It's great if they stick to rats....mine usually turn into egg eaters...


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## greybeard (Jun 27, 2019)

AmberLops said:


> Thanks guys for the helpful info!!
> I'm investing in a snake-grabber. That way I won't have to get so close and pick it up with my hands


A set of long handled branch loppers works best. You can grab any sized snake with them, and in as many pieces as you want..


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## AmberLops (Jun 27, 2019)

greybeard said:


> A set of long handled branch loppers works best. You can grab any sized snake with them, and in as many pieces as you want..


I know you like to kill snakes...but I just can't!


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## B&B Happy goats (Jun 27, 2019)

I like a good sharp shovel to remove  the tail from the head .... I only do the poisonous  snakes or egg eating snake or the ones that scare my husband, or the ones that are in my yard  but I like black snakes, rat snakes and garden snakes......


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## AmberLops (Jun 27, 2019)

Gee I couldn't do that! I feel bad just grabbing them


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## AmberLops (Jun 27, 2019)

Bunnylady said:


> BTW, have I introduced you to The Rat Patrol?
> View attachment 63753


Am I the only one who thinks it's cute?


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## B&B Happy goats (Jun 27, 2019)

AmberLops said:


> Gee I couldn't do that! I feel bad just grabbing them



It's  them or me....I prefer to be on the wining side....they don't  call them POISONOUS snakes for nonthing...and with a hospital a hour away, they got the upper hand, so "off with their heads"


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## B&B Happy goats (Jun 27, 2019)

AmberLops said:


> Am I the only one who thinks it's cute?



YES


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## AmberLops (Jun 27, 2019)

Ha ha ha! Look at his wittle beady eyes  Cute!

last year i was walking by myself and I got bitten by a baby rattlesnake...that was scary but I still have nothing against them. Just like sharks..I've had some really close encounters with them and I still think they're amazing!


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## B&B Happy goats (Jun 27, 2019)

@AmberLops. ...now hold on here...you won't take a worm out of a rabbit....but you like snakes and sharks........


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## AmberLops (Jun 27, 2019)

HA HA HA!!
When you put it that way I sound like an idiot 
But snakes and sharks are not gross...and worms are nasty!  Am I right??


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## animalmom (Jun 27, 2019)

I tend to go all biblical on snakes... any snake especially if it startles me.  W use to get rat snakes close to the house and I try to look for them so I am not startled.  At least the rat snake is doing something useful.

We get a real thin green ribbon snake thing that likes the water garden.  He's a fast one and doesn't seem to bother the fish so he ok as long as ....

Rattlesnakes get dispatched as soon as spotted.  I don't parse out that they eat mice and rats.  Don't care.  Shotgun works real well.  Egg stealers get beheaded with prejudice.  Chickens like dead snakes after a couple days in the chicken yard to soften up the snake.


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## B&B Happy goats (Jun 27, 2019)

Bot fly larvae  IS nasty ......ever open the belly of a shark......NASTY........ever see a snake with one of your chicken eggs swallowing it whole....Nasty.....
@AmberLops


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## B&B Happy goats (Jun 27, 2019)

I like @animalmom s going biblical on snakes !


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## CntryBoy777 (Jun 27, 2019)

I used to have many of the same thoughts....as I was growing up and up to the early 90s....then, I decided to do some research and "get to know them" a bit better....I learned a whole lot from a reptile magazine....and I got my 3 snakes to raise....ball python, milk snake, and a western hog nosed.....learned so much with them and was very sad to let them go, but just didn't tend to them after my 2nd heart attack.....they were My pets and Joyce refused to feed them.....but watched it every single time....


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## Bunnylady (Jun 27, 2019)

frustratedearthmother said:


> It's great if they stick to rats....mine usually turn into egg eaters...



The Rat Patrol has taken a few eggs over the years, I can't deny that. But I know it has taken out lots and lots of rats, too - I figure it's a trade-off. I make a point of checking for eggs just about every time I'm in the area of the coop (2 - 3 times per day), so I don't miss many. Something else I don't miss is the rat poop and pee all over everything, and stuff getting chewed up . . . like I said, a trade-off.



AmberLops said:


> Am I the only one who thinks it's cute?



"Cute" isn't quite the word I use; (s)he's a 6-footer. There's a 3-foot Green Rat Snake that we see regularly, too; I call that one "JRatC. " There's also a Black Racer that we call "Speed" that we see a lot, but not in or around the chicken coop (it's too small to manage the big eggs that my girls lay, at least for the time being). No, I'm not totally bonkers, but I am a firm believer in "better the devil you know." Copperheads are common as mud around here, we also have Water Moccasins and 3 kinds of rattlesnakes (not to mention Coral Snakes). I figure, since we seem to have an abundance of snake food living around here, I'd prefer to have non-venomous snake neighbors eating it.


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## Mini Horses (Jun 27, 2019)

AmberLops said:


> I'm investing in a snake-grabber. That way I won't have to get so close and pick it up with my hands



I have two now, DD just picked up another for me.  First getting old but still doing the job!  Mine are  Machete.   

Don't want to see any as they won't just stay with mice!!   So, not welcome.   Cats can do the mice for me!!


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## AmberLops (Jun 27, 2019)

B&B Happy goats said:


> Bot fly larvae  IS nasty ......ever open the belly of a shark......NASTY........ever see a snake with one of your chicken eggs swallowing it whole....Nasty.....
> @AmberLops


Ha ha you're terrible! I'm sure all that is gross but nothing comes close to the bot fly larvae....


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## AmberLops (Jun 27, 2019)

CntryBoy777 said:


> I used to have many of the same thoughts....as I was growing up and up to the early 90s....then, I decided to do some research and "get to know them" a bit better....I learned a whole lot from a reptile magazine....and I got my 3 snakes to raise....ball python, milk snake, and a western hog nosed.....learned so much with them and was very sad to let them go, but just didn't tend to them after my 2nd heart attack.....they were My pets and Joyce refused to feed them.....but watched it every single time....


I love snakes...I went to a reptile expo in May and I almost bought a snake that I fell in love with. It was beautiful....an albino boa. I'll get one some day. They are actually very easy to get attached to!
I like African House Snakes....those are pretty neat too


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## AmberLops (Jun 27, 2019)

Bunnylady said:


> The Rat Patrol has taken a few eggs over the years, I can't deny that. But I know it has taken out lots and lots of rats, too - I figure it's a trade-off. I make a point of checking for eggs just about every time I'm in the area of the coop (2 - 3 times per day), so I don't miss many. Something else I don't miss is the rat poop and pee all over everything, and stuff getting chewed up . . . like I said, a trade-off.
> 
> 
> 
> "Cute" isn't quite the word I use; (s)he's a 6-footer. There's a 3-foot Green Rat Snake that we see regularly, too; I call that one "JRatC. " There's also a Black Racer that we call "Speed" that we see a lot, but not in or around the chicken coop (it's too small to manage the big eggs that my girls lay, at least for the time being). No, I'm not totally bonkers, but I am a firm believer in "better the devil you know." Copperheads are common as mud around here, we also have Water Moccasins and 3 kinds of rattlesnakes (not to mention Coral Snakes). I figure, since we seem to have an abundance of snake food living around here, I'd prefer to have non-venomous snake neighbors eating it.


That makes sense 
At least they're doing something for you in return!


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## CntryBoy777 (Jun 27, 2019)

Just make sure ya do the research to find the characteristics that ya prefer....pay special attention to overall size and don't "power feed" it isn't worth it for early growth....and feed appropriate sized meals....we raised our own mice to save the cost.....the most docile is the ball python....when disturbed and the feeling of threat....their defense is to roll up tight into a ball and protect the head.....they top out around 5' and are slow movers....called mine Dash.....


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## AmberLops (Jun 27, 2019)

CntryBoy777 said:


> Just make sure ya do the research to find the characteristics that ya prefer....pay special attention to overall size and don't "power feed" it isn't worth it for early growth....and feed appropriate sized meals....we raised our own mice to save the cost.....the most docile is the ball python....when disturbed and the feeling of threat....their defense is to roll up tight into a ball and protect the head.....they top out around 5' and are slow movers....called mine Dash.....


Thanks for the advice! I appreciate it 
I love the name Dash too!


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## CntryBoy777 (Jun 28, 2019)

Just hollar if I can help ya with anything.....depending on what the situation is and how much ya wanna put into it....time wise...ya can select a breed that will "fit" within those boundaries.....many will tolerate handling, but others will not....most make the mistake and think this one is "just Beautiful"....but have "no clue" as to "what" they are "asking for".....the animals never seem to last very long, because the "conditions" do not "match" their "needed environment".....a very common choice...because of the patterns....is a Burmese python.....but, when it gets 15-20' 200lb and can crush bones....just "where" ya gonna keep it....they will eat 5 grown chickens for a meal......remember, they are cold-blooded animals and sensitive to temp changes....this is why they hunt them in the Everglades now....with the hurricanes and the damage back to Andrew released an abundance of them into the enivironment and they have no natural predators here...except for gators, but they have found many pythons with alligator in the gut.....just whatever ya do, do research on a specific one....before spending $$ at a show for a really good one and then "finding out the Hard way".....as if ya can't tell.....I have a respect for them and do what I can to not kill one, but I also understand the otherside of it too....I told all my daughters, that if there is a doubt at all treat it as if it is....that goes for spiders too.....


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## AmberLops (Jun 28, 2019)

CntryBoy777 said:


> Just hollar if I can help ya with anything.....depending on what the situation is and how much ya wanna put into it....time wise...ya can select a breed that will "fit" within those boundaries.....many will tolerate handling, but others will not....most make the mistake and think this one is "just Beautiful"....but have "no clue" as to "what" they are "asking for".....the animals never seem to last very long, because the "conditions" do not "match" their "needed environment".....a very common choice...because of the patterns....is a Burmese python.....but, when it gets 15-20' 200lb and can crush bones....just "where" ya gonna keep it....they will eat 5 grown chickens for a meal......remember, they are cold-blooded animals and sensitive to temp changes....this is why they hunt them in the Everglades now....with the hurricanes and the damage back to Andrew released an abundance of them into the enivironment and they have no natural predators here...except for gators, but they have found many pythons with alligator in the gut.....just whatever ya do, do research on a specific one....before spending $$ at a show for a really good one and then "finding out the Hard way".....as if ya can't tell.....I have a respect for them and do what I can to not kill one, but I also understand the otherside of it too....I told all my daughters, that if there is a doubt at all treat it as if it is....that goes for spiders too.....


Thank you! I really appreciate your help 
I will most likely be asking you a ton of questions when I get my snake!
I like the African house snakes because they're pretty easy to care for and they make nice pets but then I love the boas because they're just beautiful. I used to house-sit for a family that had 50 boas and I loved those snakes. There were a few that just seemed so special. Thought about maybe getting a kingsnake but they seem kind of...hyper ?
and not so hold-able...but then again I don't know because I've never seen one in person.
There's a lot to think about when it comes to picking out a snake!
Thanks again


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## Arnaki (Jul 13, 2019)

Did it look like this but thinner?


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## mystang89 (Jul 13, 2019)

Here is the way I identify any snake I see.  I've NEVER been wrong before and I'm sure I'll never be wrong in the future.  First, recognize that what is in your eye site is, for sure, a snake.  Second, scream at the top of your lungs "SNAKE!"  Third, run like you just saw a snake..cause you did!  

Each snake I've seen was poisonous, dangerous and vicious but the moment I'm nowhere in eye site range of them, they turn non poisonous, calm and docile.  Weird the way that happens.


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## CntryBoy777 (Jul 13, 2019)

Looks like a mature female water moccassin...to me...tho, it does seem to be "headless"....on my tiny phone anyway...


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## AmberLops (Jul 13, 2019)

@Arnaki  it was almost all black but with small eed/gold diamond patterns along it's back...no big markings like the one in that picture. That's a pretty snake though!
The one I saw was about 6-7 feet and thin 

@mystang89  that's some good advice, thank you! 
But if it's near my rabbits i'm gonna run towards it... not away from it!

I have a new snake on my front porch now. It sunbathes there and it's not too afraid of me. It's a rat snake though...it can stay there as long as it stays away from my rabbits....


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## Beekissed (Jul 14, 2019)

Sounds like a color variance of a black racer....I've encountered one that was 6-7 ft long and aggressive like you describe, also moved with head held up like your description.  Chased my brother across the yard!


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## AmberLops (Jul 14, 2019)

Beekissed said:


> Sounds like a color variance of a black racer....I've encountered one that was 6-7 ft long and aggressive like you describe, also moved with head held up like your description.  Chased my brother across the yard!


Thanks for the video!
I think it was some strange colored Racer. The temperament sure fits it 
Hopefully it doesn't come back...


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