Snake Experts, Please step inside.

[SigArmed1]

I have a chest freezer under my carport right next to my back door. Just a few minutes ago, my 7 year old daughter, barefooted no less, stepped about 6 inches from this guy as she went out the door. Luckily, as you can see below, he was a little busy at the time. From looking inside the freezer and seeing blood everywhere, I can tell this isn't the first time he drug a "snack" up in there. So, before I "relocate" him, can someone tell me exactly what kind of snake it is? From the round pupils I gather he is non-poisonous but other than that, I haven't a clue.

 

[Yrdawg]

Ckn snake....rat snake...I can't tell but lookin at the head I agree Non poisonus

Po Po frawg

BUT this close to the house...it dies

 

[themcfarland]

given the fact he just ate, he wont be as aggressive but he will still be and be careful..

 

[Guate_shooter]

Call grits he raises snakes LOL!

 

[SigArmed1]

Oh snap! Looks like he zigged when he should have zagged. And before all the snake lovers tell me how horrible I am, let me just say that poisonous or not, he was shacking up just a little too close for comfort and one of us HAD to go!

 

[jms]

Kill that ugly ting or it'll be back.

You were posting as I spoke . Dead snake one don't have to worry about weather it's poision.

 

[SirIsaacNewton]

Oh snap! Looks like he zigged when he should have zagged. And before all the snake lovers tell me how horrible I am, let me just say that poisonous or not, he was shacking up just a little too close for comfort and one of us HAD to go!

I don't know why all the manly men in this forum have a problem bending over and picking up a snake. Sometimes I am not surprised the pro-gun community has such a stigmata associated with it. IMO it seems to be well saturated with ignorance.

I think it is important to state that this was one of those moments, a teaching opportunity, where you could have explained to your daughter that snakes have an important role in the environment and aren't to be feared but respected, demonstrating the differences in the head shapes to identify the venomous vs. non-venomous species, explained the importance of respect for the environment, reemphasized the role of each organism in the environment as well as reinforcing our role as protectors of the environment. Instead you dropped the ball but heck at least you can post a sweet picture of it on the internet.

 

[kcinnick]

I wish I had more snakes around.

 

[WINGBONE2]

I won't hurt a King Snake or a Garder Snake...........but the rest of them's got to go! I think that "was" what we call a Water Snake??????

 

[f350drvr]

I dont have kids. If i did though, venomous or not any snake that could bite and was in the area of where they play is dead.

 

[Cat]

I won't hurt a King Snake or a Garder Snake...........but the rest of them's got to go! I think that "was" what we call a Water Snake??????

This. They actually keep the poisonous variety away.

 

[my-rifle]

YOU KILLED IT?

What the hell for? I can't fathom killing a non-poisonous snake. They're completely harmless to a person, and it's incredibly easy to identify them. I could when I was seven years old. Squirrels are more dangerous than a rat snake, and squirrels don't keep the rodents out of your house. Sorry, but that seems like killing for fun, and I'm not OK with that.

 

[dzelenka]

Killing non-poisonous snakes is counterproductive.

If it had been my daughter, she probably would have caught it.

 

[jms]

JMO : Walk up on any snake ,step on it before you see what kind it might be,then check your heart rate or get to the EMG. Rm. if you can't identify.
We learn what we are interested in and mine interest ain't snakes.
Been there done that cause I live in the piney woods.

 

[tmlowe]

There are no poisonous snakes...just venomous ones

 

[SigArmed1]

Sometimes I am not surprised the pro-gun community has such a stigmata associated with it. IMO it seems to be well saturated with ignorance.

I know exactly what you mean. Of course, I'm just a lowly Neandethral and certainly no "Sir Isaac Newton" like yourself, but even I know how "ignorant" someone looks when they use a word like "stigmata" when they really mean "stigma". Now, get back to that Al Gore documentary you were watching before I peed in your Wheaties.

 

[dmh]

It's called a mud snake. Farnacia abacura. Harmless but still scary if you walk up on one. Took 2 herpatology classes in college...

 

[SigArmed1]

Killing non-poisonous snakes is counterproductive.

If it had been my daughter, she probably would have caught it.

Actually Dan, she was mostly concerned with saving the frog it had just eaten so after the snake was dispatched, we dissected it, removed the frog and turned the entire episode into a little biology/ anatomy and food chain lesson. So, in that respect, I suppose the snake didn't exactly die in vain.

 

[charliepapa]

Kevin, that's a banded water snake.

http://www.texassnakes.net/BroadBanded.htm

This is a mud snake:

 

[BladeZealot]

Broad banded watersnake (Nerodia fasciata confluens)

Harmless.

Eating the frog is a hint as to the type of snake too.

Not a Mud Snake...and they prefer amphiumas...

ah...cp...you added pics while I was posting...and dmh, fwiw...it's Herpetology, not Herpatology, and Farancia as opposed to Farnacia

added:

and I sincerely appreciate the fact that there seem to be more here against killing the snake than for it.