Nick Selan, my good friend from undergrad, took this photo of a snake that he found in his backyard in the Atlanta area.
I have no idea what it is. I’m not very good with Southern snakes.
I’m thinking it is some sort of garter snake, which we West Virginians always call “garden snakes.”
that little fella is trying to look REALLY evil – the ribs are spread as wide as they can get, to maximize the threat signal.
yes, thats a garter – This one –
http://tinyurl.com/23wasnm
— terry
terry pride, APDT-Aus, apdt#1827, CVA, TDF
first instinct was gopher snake, but I think Terry’s pic is closer!
Divided anal scale folks – no garter snake here! The black rat snake has weakly keeled scales and the juvenile black rat has a very cornsnake/banded garter pattern that disappears quickly as the snake ages.
Garter snakes have strongly keeled scales and a single anal plate. I flipped the poor dear over and inspected him, much to his distress – no musk, divided anal!
try this: http://naturalhistory.uga.edu/~GMNH/gawildlife/index.php?page=speciespages/species_page&key=eobsoleta
or this: http://www.uga.edu/srelherp/snakes/elaobs.htm
THHHPPPPTTTTT!! to quote my buddy Bill the Cat, LOL –
i blew up the photo + got a real close gander at the head-
that aint no blacksnake, its a garters face.
cheers,
— t
notice the distinctly checkered pattern on the body – fine checks – on the garter; then compare to the irregular blotching on the ratsnake-hatchling –
heres a good close-up of a juvie rat-snake:
http://tinyurl.com/25hc4ks
ta,
— terry
For me at least the resolution is not good enough to tell. It could be a southern Diamond Back Rattle snake, but it also could be one of the many “Bull snakes” that actually eat Rattle Snakes.
i am not sure U if U are looking at the checkered on R-mans page, but if U are, click on the photo –
it will pop into its own window, with a big white-screen background; then open the photo by stretching the page in both horizontal + vertical directions.
U will need to re-center the photo to keep the snake near the middle, but U can get it as big as U want. ;-)
to find the juvie-blacksnake, click the tiny-URL open and scroll down – hes on a boulder, very bold markings, olive-black on white.
Definitely not a garter snake. I saw the divided anal plate too. Also, no stripes down its back and no checkers. It has irregular spots. Furthermore, the checkered garter’s known range is at least 800 miles from here.
Kenneth, Diamond Back was my fear when I first saw it, but it has round pupils and no indication of venom glands at all. We are certain enough that we have handled it. We have it in an aquarium now.
this thread is about a juvie black-RACER, not a rat-snake –
http://tinyurl.com/2fo3j3m
a distant cousin.
the younger snake is the first photo, but its going into a shed + is distinctly blue-cast so the saddles are hard to see.
in post #22 below there is a much-heftier version
+ tho not as pretty, the saddles are distinct – again,
juvie black-racer, Texas style.
the snake in R-mans post is not saddle marked at all.
cheers,
— terry
sorry! :o
i thought *teresa* was pulling my leg when she said that she;d flipped the snake over…
too much time hanging out with ppl who make practical jokes a non-stop habit, i apologize; i really thought she was kidding.
the only round-pupiled venomous species that i know of in the USA is coral snake – and i don;t THINK that U are far-enuf south for them; and the rear-fanged Mangrove snake, again further south.
hope U get a definite ID –
in my home-area of Penna, water-snakes (Northern Banded) are among the few species i could never keep; they never relaxed, but were always twitchy and defensive; snapping + striking.
even after weeks of feeding and careful no-banging cage husbandry, i could not even remove the water-bowl to rinse + chnge the water, w/o them striking at me.
they have been known to chase trout-fishermen right out of streams – they are territorial + OWN their section.
hopefully this fella settles down a bit.
good night, + pleasant dreams,
— terry