¡Snek!

[Braff Zacklin 13,289]

3 hours ago, baboso said:

Eastern King snek eating another snek I can't identify.

Another Eastern or maybe a speckled?

[Buzzrock 14,779]

Rat snake. It didn’t go well. The rat snake was longer than the king snake so it was all wadded up inside. It eventually regurgitated the rat snake and reportedly felt much better. 
 

Photos from my neighbor Ed who some of you may know from new car fanatic thread. 
 

 

[Buzzrock 14,779]

Post-regurgitation 

 

[Wally Pryor 5,201]

On 5/29/2024 at 10:59 AM, Jerry Callo said:

Coachwhips are cool snakes. 

I love going to Bracken Cave and seeing them pounce on unsuspecting bats that are grounded. 

 

[Jerry Callo 8,630]

5 minutes ago, Wally Pryor said:

I love going to Bracken Cave and seeing them pounce on unsuspecting bats that are grounded. 

I've seen a couple of these videos.  Can you actually see the snakes when viewing the bats at Bracken Cave?  I'd go for that.

[Wally Pryor 5,201]

Binoculars to see the coaches go after the bats - there's a little distance between the benches you sit on and the area around the cave where the action takes place.  

No binoculars needed for the coaches that wander out from the rock formations right below the benches you're sitting on. 

[hookemATL 11,503]

Snake season like a mofo. 4 snakes in 2 days at the farm then this healthy rat snake was in the backyard conversating with the cat. Used hockey stick to place in tots and relocated to the woodsy area by the neighborhood park. I know they are beneficial snakes and not venomous but a new puppy and two kiddos made it an obvious choice. 

[Homesickhorn 2,194]

Little Homesick and my nephew called me over to this guy finishing off a lizard snack. Little coachie, posed for a couple of pics before turning on the afterburners, and heading to the tree line.

[leaf 681]

Just a few minutes ago on my way home. I don’t know what kind of snake it is.

 

 

 

[Hard Times 285]

10 hours ago, leaf said:

Just a few minutes ago on my way home. I don’t know what kind of snake it is.

IMG_7467.mov 6.93 MB · 2 downloads  

 

 

Probably a rat snake, but it could be a number of snakes and I can't tell without a closer up picture of the pattern.

[Jerry Callo 8,630]

Harmless Western Ratsnake.

[Lerka Lerka 1,084]

I think for every snake ID request, there should just be an assumption that it’s a rat snake until one of us with more snake knowledge says otherwise. 

[Hate 20,046]

A friend of mine had this visitor today. He hates snakes and wanted to kill it. I asked him if he liked rodents in and around his house. The snake went into the heater and my friend saw a filed mouse run out of the heater. He also heard the squeals of some babies in the heater that didn’t get so lucky. I’m hoping he leaves the snake alone. Good snake did its job.

 

 

[thunderlounge 7,619]

6 minutes ago, Hate said:

The snake went into the heater and my friend saw a filed mouse run out of the heater.

Well at least the mouse paid his taxes.

[4th and 5 4,903]

If it is in a predicament, or somewhere other then the ground, or your neighbor says it is a copperhead, it’s probably a rat snake

[Bevo 13,436]

I saw a nice sized rattlesnake on Friday while mountain biking in a preserve in Cedar Park. It kind of startled the wife, but it was just slithering across the path so there wasn't anything to worry about.

[miguelito 11,095]

This morning I heard a bunch of scrub jays screeching, and I could tell there was something going on besides just being annoying.  There were at least 6 of them hopping around in one tree, and they weren't fighting each other.  So I went outside to look, and there was also a cardinal and a wren bouncing around and swooping down at something on the ground.  It was this little rat snake, with a full belly.  There's a red oak leaf at the bottom of the picture for scale.

 

[thunderlounge 7,619]

The way the head is in the pic, kinda makes it look wild. Almost AT-AT like. Neato.

[Shoxthemonkey 1,972]

This guy was outside my attached garage this afternoon. I have always called these racers, they’re common here in central Kansas. 

When I got close it went into this hole under the slab with the quickness. Racer indeed. 

[Braff Zacklin 13,289]

Man, respect for actually getting a photo of a racer. They always live up to their name and are long gone by the time I have the camera out and ready.

[Homesickhorn 2,194]

Props getting a pic. I locked my brakes just after going through a railroad/creek crossing about a week ago when one shot out in front of me. There was nobody behind me, so I jumped out to make sure I hadn’t hit him. Sure enough there he was, so I tried to urge him in the direction he was going to begin with (tall grass, and collected water). I laughed out loud as he continued to face me, while back slithering(?) across the road with the “COME AT ME BRO” demeanor. Cool sneks, racers.

[thunderlounge 7,619]

Went to the Quivira scout camp a few times as a kid. Were a lot of racers up there, black and blue.

We’d all take turns racing them, and had a lot of fun. Sneks didn’t care, were never aggressive, and seemed to have as much fun as we were.

[Wally Pryor 5,201]

On 6/16/2024 at 6:38 PM, Shoxthemonkey said:

When I got close it went into this hole...

 

No need to disparage SAM anymore.

Plenty of that going around.

[Mittens 7,991]

Spring Creek, Houston TX (friend's pics):

[Braff Zacklin 13,289]

Even sneks know: channel cats taste gooood.

Edited June 18 by Braff Zacklin

[dcbc 14,235]

Saw this fat fellow on my walk this evening.

[miguelito 11,095]

[Lerka Lerka 1,084]

4 hours ago, dcbc said:

Saw this fat fellow on my walk this evening.

That looks like a water moccasin 

[gsoda3 3,192]

Broad banded water snake

[Buzzrock 14,779]

Feisty little rat snek in my garage this morning 

 

[HendersonHorns 85]

Dad sent me this. Only one he took of it. He said copper head. I said moccasin. He also fished it out and shot it, so I’m sure he’s right. And the more I look at the pattern I see copper head. 
 

but I found it interesting with the shade and the sun. 
 

any thoughts from that picture?

[4th and 5 4,903]

100% venomous northern cottonmouth

[HendersonHorns 85]

Just now, 4th and 5 said:

100% venomous northern cottonmouth

I’m so happy you posted. Thank you!

[Spoosner 86]

19 minutes ago, HendersonHorns said:

Dad sent me this. Only one he took of it. He said copper head. I said moccasin. He also fished it out and shot it, so I’m sure he’s right. And the more I look at the pattern I see copper head. 
 

but I found it interesting with the shade and the sun. 
 

any thoughts from that picture?

Where was this?

We back up to a greenbelt and have a pool. This is a fear of mine.

So far I've only seen a rat snake (id'd in this thread) and what I believe to be a ribbon snake (pic below) based on the google.

 

[HendersonHorns 85]

1 minute ago, Spoosner said:

Where was this?

We back up to a greenbelt and have a pool. This is a fear of mine.

So far I've only seen a rat snake (id'd in this thread) and what I believe to be a ribbon snake (pic below) based on the google.

 

East Texas. Between Henderson and nacogdoches  

he lives on 200 acres. Wooded and pasture. 

my mom had the pool put in about 1995 and it’s the first venomous snake he has found swimming. A lot of harmless snakes though. I wouldn’t fear it too bad, but just pay attention opening those filter tops

[4th and 5 4,903]

23 minutes ago, Spoosner said:

Where was this?

We back up to a greenbelt and have a pool. This is a fear of mine.

So far I've only seen a rat snake (id'd in this thread) and what I believe to be a ribbon snake (pic below) based on the google.

 

That is a Patch-nosed snake, nonvenomous colubrid, eats other snakes reptiles and small mammals. Cool snake.

 

Edited July 10 by 4th and 5
Added a good pic

[Gatorubet 29,538]

On 5/28/2024 at 11:14 PM, Biff Tannen said:

Ball?

no. He said it was his wife.

[Gatorubet 29,538]

On 6/19/2024 at 2:10 AM, gsoda3 said:

Broad banded water snake

 

On 6/19/2024 at 12:20 AM, Lerka Lerka said:

That looks like a water moccasin 

They can look very similar to be sure, but I think this guy’s nose and the head look more like a moccasin to me. I think a water snake head would be rounder.

And it’s hard to tell, but it also looks like he has that hood over his eye.   Cool snake either way.

[TwiceHorn 30,834]

Like a lot of snakes, nerodia (common water snake of several varieties), can flatten its head so it looks like a pit viper sometimes.

Distinguishing them from moccasins can be difficult.

One of the key features I think is that most nerodia have a series of vertical lines or stripes on their lower jaw.  Somewhat visible on the pic above, definitely so below.

When they're that dark, muted color like above, they especially look like moccasins.  And you may have to be danger close to tell the difference.

The only thing that creeps me out about snek is that they are often so well camouflaged that they can really startle you by appearing seemingly out of nowhere.  Those circumstances don't lend themselves to accurate id.

Edited July 11 by TwiceHorn

[Gatorubet 29,538]

On 6/17/2024 at 1:34 PM, thunderlounge said:

Went to the Quivira scout camp a few times as a kid.

We are apparently twinsies.  I was a Scout of Troop 703 in Wichita, Kansas back in the day and that was our summer hang out.

I do not remember racers. I do remember thunderstorms and funnel clouds.

[Okie State 3,696]

Hiked up to the cliff dwellings at Bandelier in New Mexico this weekend and my 7 year old spotted a snek on our trail. No idea what kind it was, but it did not look friendly so we didn't stick around to take pics. My kids now call them sneks thanks to me.

[Gatorubet 29,538]

11 hours ago, TwiceHorn said:

Like a lot of snakes, nerodia (common water snake of several varieties), can flatten its head so it looks like a pit viper sometimes.

Distinguishing them from moccasins can be difficult.

One of the key features I think is that most nerodia have a series of vertical lines or stripes on their lower jaw.  Somewhat visible on the pic above, definitely so below.

cosign everything everything you say. 

The moccasin below has some face striping as well. This guy also has The brown mask that comes close to covering his eye, which Nerodia won’t have.  I thought the original picture we were looking at had that brown mask but it doesn’t look so pronounced

Unless I can see a pit between his nostril and eye it is difficult to tell.  and I sure don’t wanna get close enough to see the cottonmouth’s vertical cat eye pupil versus the round watersnake one.  The original snake picture is a great lesson not to get too close until you are really sure what the heck it is.

But looking at it closer, I think I would fall off the fence on Nerodia.  I just wish I could see how skinny his neck is - and if I could see the top of his head from above, if I could see his eyes.

[Shoxthemonkey 1,972]

On 6/17/2024 at 1:34 PM, thunderlounge said:

Went to the Quivira scout camp a few times as a kid. Were a lot of racers up there, black and blue.

We’d all take turns racing them, and had a lot of fun. Sneks didn’t care, were never aggressive, and seemed to have as much fun as we were.

Damn, I blew right past your Quivira comment. I wasn't  in Scouting but a lot of my buddies spent time at that ranch. Our family farm is a couple counties north of Quivira in the middle of the Flint Hills. I would imagine that you also saw the little prairie rattlesnakes that are common in the meadows.

[smwhorn 481]

19 hours ago, Okie State said:

Hiked up to the cliff dwellings at Bandelier in New Mexico this weekend and my 7 year old spotted a snek on our trail. No idea what kind it was, but it did not look friendly so we didn't stick around to take pics. My kids now call them sneks thanks to me.

I was there about a month ago and saw a diamondback making its way along the trail.  

[Okie State 3,696]

1 hour ago, smwhorn said:

I was there about a month ago and saw a diamondback making its way along the trail.  

That may have been what it was. I didn't get a good look. My wife said it looked venomous so we grabbed the kids and boogied.

[South Austin 51,564]

20 hours ago, Okie State said:

My wife said it looked venomous so we grabbed the kids and boogied.

Best thing around a venomous snake is the cha-cha.

[pantone159 710]

Happy World Snake Day, degenerates!!

 

[TwiceHorn 30,834]

Somewhere, I have a pic of 11 year old Twice with an indigo on my shoulders at Camp Longhorn.

[Underdog 28,118]

15 hours ago, pantone159 said:

Happy World Snake Day, degenerates!!

 

Too beaucoup. 

[Underdog 28,118]

This bad boy was found by water crew in capital district... 

https://www.news10.com/news/albany-county/albany-water-encounters-14-foot-snake-repairing-break/

Shame it was killed.