# What kind of snake (pics inside)



## greengoblin

So what kind of snake is this, havent seen one like it around here before?


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## A. Stanton

My guess for your climate and state would be a common water snake. If you were in Georgia, I would say a cotton mouth.


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## greengoblin

It should be noted that he wasnt in the water until i picked him up with a stick and threw him there.


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## PA Plumber

Whatever the make/model, I think I would leave that thing alone!


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## weenieroaster

This link might help clarify:

Interesting snake, not the poison variety.

http://www.herpnet.net/Iowa-Herpetology/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=47&Itemid=39


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## greengoblin

weenieroaster said:


> This link might help clarify:
> 
> Interesting snake, not the poison variety.
> 
> http://www.herpnet.net/Iowa-Herpetology/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=47&Itemid=39



Might be, but I am in the nw corner of iowa. The reason I ask, is because I could have swore this thing rattled at me, but didnt see a rattler on its tail. It might have been my imagination as I hate snakes. Do any snakes mimic the rattle sound? Just wondering if anybody could tell me for sure what it was, based on the pictures.


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## stihl sawing

It looks kinda like a timber rattler we have here, Hard to tell cause it's wet and can't see all of it. Don't wanna see it up close and personal no matter what it is.


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## ropensaddle

greengoblin said:


> Might be, but I am in the nw corner of iowa. The reason I ask, is because I could have swore this thing rattled at me, but didnt see a rattler on its tail. It might have been my imagination as I hate snakes. Do any snakes mimic the rattle sound? Just wondering if anybody could tell me for sure what it was, based on the pictures.



Yes they mimic rattlers I have witnessed many species do it.
I do admit it appears to be a timber rattler a close up would tell
if it has pits under the eyes it is definitely poison.


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## ropensaddle

I have seen bull snakes in Neb that look like your pic!


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## ShoerFast

*B.s.*

My $0.02 cents worth,,,it's a BS

Bull Snake:

Gopher Snake, 

Contriscter, harmless, unless your a rattler, Bull Snake's eat rattlers.


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## stihl sawing

If you look at the head in the first pic, It appears to be triangular like a poisonous snake.


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## ropensaddle

stihl sawing said:


> If you look at the head in the first pic, It appears to be triangular like a poisenous snake.



Many non poisonous snakes can achieve that but as I said, if there
is pits under the eyes, definitely poison! It is hard to tell without a close up of the head, also; a rattler that age not having rattlers or evidence of having lost them would be a freak!

Just so no one makes a mistake, coral snakes do not have pits
under the eyes all other native poisonous snakes will!
The most poisonous is the coral!


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## stihl sawing

ShoerFast said:


> My $0.02 cents worth,,,it's a BS
> 
> Bull Snake:
> 
> Gopher Snake,
> 
> Contriscter, harmless, unless your a rattler, Bull Snake's eat rattlers.


The body looks the same, But the head is wider. May be cause he's a little mad.


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## ropensaddle

stihl sawing said:


> The body looks the same, But the head is wider. May be cause he's a little mad.



Yeah I have seen the bull snake mimic,hiss and do all sorts of stuff.
They can get very large and even though non- poisonous will give
ya a nasty bite and that is from experiance.


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## ShoerFast

stihl sawing said:


> The body looks the same, But the head is wider. May be cause he's a little mad.



Yes,

Bull Snakes are fun (when you figure it out that there 5' long, but can't kill you!)

When I first moved to Colorado from Minnesota, My dad came out for the Dove-opener, brought out an old by todays standards VHS camera. 

We seen a huge ol Bull Snake as we came up from the Kiowa and a morrnings dove hunt. 

This ol boy was not happy about nothing,,, and hissed and swatted when we got to close. 

He was a good actor, I dangled the camera by the shoulder straps to get a good close-up, and he attacked the lens several times!

Classic footage even today, really can get kids to sit back from the TV!

They get as mad as any snake, there about the only thing alive that can take eggs from Gunnie-fowl, and slither off to tell about it.


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## ropensaddle

Yeah another fun one is the Hog nosed snake and you will think
your seeing a cobra  I have caught many snakes as a kid
from ring necks to cottonmouth,copperhead, and yes rattlers I
was a crazy kid! I have never even though very close been bitten 
by a poisonous snake and now have no desire to catch them! 
I have milked them put the poison on bugs and all sorts of stupid
things  One time I caught about a hundred stinging scorpions 
cut their stinger off and turned them loose at school. We got a vacation
for a couple days until exterminator ridded them! I can't believe some of
the stuff I done and was glad dad did not know about it.


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## ross_scott

ropensaddle said:


> Yeah another fun one is the Hog nosed snake and you will think
> your seeing a cobra  I have caught many snakes as a kid
> from ring necks to cottonmouth,copperhead, and yes rattlers I
> was a crazy kid! I have never even though very close been bitten
> by a poisonous snake and now have no desire to catch them!
> I have milked them put the poison on bugs and all sorts of stupid
> things  One time I caught about a hundred stinging scorpions
> cut their stinger off and turned them loose at school. We got a vacation
> for a couple days until exterminator ridded them! I can't believe some of
> the stuff I done and was glad dad did not know about it.



I would say you would have been a long term member of the swollen ass club if your dad found out what mischief you got into. But oddly enough it is funny how parents can sit there telling you what kinds of mischief they got into and then they always seem to say "and if I catch you doing that your ass will be sore for a month" right at the end of thier stories


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## weenieroaster

There is a contact at the web page I posted, of some reptilian authority. Why don't you send them a photo and ask for it to be identified. If it is that rare snake, they asked to be informed. I'd like to read what it actually is. In case it's the rare one, you can consider yourself lucky :jawdrop:


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## ents

ShoerFast said:


> ......
> 
> They get as mad as any snake, there *about the only thing alive that can take eggs from Gunnie-fowl, and slither off to tell about it*.




I've lost a few clutches of Gunnie eggs to black snakes. They look so ridiculous when full of eggs. Friend of ours also found a black snake that had just taken eggs from a Gunnie nest. He got the eggs back and put them in an incubator. Yep, they hatched.

The markings on the first picture and the one of the diamond back seem backwards. One is dark diamond (1st photo) and the other is light diamond (from herp net). At least that's what it seems to me (most prevalent towards the front on side of snake) Do the colors alternate with individual snake?


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## greengoblin

Thanks to all that replied. I emailed Jeff at HerpNet.net and he says its a fox snake. Thanks for the website weenieroaster.

http://www.herpnet.net/Iowa-Herpetology/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=52&Itemid=26


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## stihl sawing

Yep, Looks like it.


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## ShoerFast

I have to admit that even after reading the article (thanks) I will have a hard time identifying a Fox Snake from a Bull Snake.....

Fox Snake....






Bull Snake





But what you have there, buy this description, is a Bull Snake.......

LINK: Bull Snake


> The head is yellow or brown and boldly marked with black, including a stripe across the top of the head from eye to eye, barring on the labial scales, and a stripe from the eye to the corner of the mouth.


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## ropensaddle

ShoerFast said:


> I have to admit that even after reading the article (thanks) I will have a hard time identifying a Fox Snake from a Bull Snake.....
> 
> Fox Snake....
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Bull Snake
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> But what you have there, buy this description, is a Bull Snake.......
> 
> LINK: Bull Snake


I concur they both look similar but the bull closer resembles his
either way non-poisonous I have never seen a fox snake in the wild!
I have seen many different snakes the coach whip very fast bugger
hard to catch and very prone to bite ya! The coral was a cool bugger
resembles and often mistaken for the milk snake, always remember
red touching yellow, kill a fellow, Red touching black, venom lack!
I like king snakes around here we have the speckled variety and 
they prey on poisonous snakes like the bull snake does.


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## ropensaddle

weenieroaster said:


> There is a contact at the web page I posted, of some reptilian authority. Why don't you send them a photo and ask for it to be identified. If it is that rare snake, they asked to be informed. I'd like to read what it actually is. In case it's the rare one, you can consider yourself lucky :jawdrop:



The reptile show in our town shut down but before he did he said
he would pay me big bucks,if I caught him a rock rattler! They are
pretty rare, I have not seen one but if I do, I will catch it as money 
talks


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## weenieroaster

ropensaddle said:


> The reptile show in our town shut down:



We had one here too, but she moved to the big city awhile back.


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## stihl sawing

ropensaddle said:


> The reptile show in our town shut down but before he did he said
> he would pay me big bucks,if I caught him a rock rattler! They are
> pretty rare, I have not seen one but if I do, I will catch it as money
> talks


Is that old alligator farm still there, When i was a young pup i went through that thing many times.


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## ropensaddle

stihl sawing said:


> Is that old alligator farm still there, When i was a young pup i went through that thing many times.



Yeah the petting zoo is still there but the reptile show was down town! Not a part of the alligator petting zoo.


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