OT Snake ID

tg in VA · May 27, 2013

I came up to the house from the barn a few minutes ago and there was a black snake lying next to my "dog trot." I stopped to look at it and it flattened its body like a cobra. The snake was about 3 1/2 feet long and probably flattened about the first 6" of its body.
It was more of a flat black where most black snakes around here (southside VA) are shinny.
Where it flattened, its body appeared to have dark black spots on a lighter black background.

Any ideas as to what it was? I'm not snake lover but I leave black snakes alone. However,I figured better safe than sorry with this one but by the time I retrieved my Judge, the snake was gone.

Thanks

Greg1959 · May 27, 2013

Maybe a Hognose...did it have and up-turned nose?

Nancy Howell · May 27, 2013

Probably what we call a puff adder, but can"t say for sure without a picture, non-poisonous.

Poisonous snakes will have a very distinctive triangle head. Non-poisonous snakes will have a more oval shaped head.

Greg1959 · May 27, 2013

Here is a pic.

tg in VA · May 27, 2013

No turned up nose, hard to tell about the head with the body forming the cobralike hood. Hope it wasn't poisonous as it diasppeared but is probably close by.

ben there · May 27, 2013

can't recall name but i've seen one too close and my first thot was oh s**t thats a cobra...found out later its a member of king snake family and non poisonous.I don't take any chances comparing snakes to pictures...if its between me and snake,he loses.

greygoat · May 27, 2013

Eastern Hog Nose Snake
They mainly eat Toads, and other Amphibians, and
"play Possum", when disturbed.

greygoat · May 27, 2013

I've got a "Snakes of Wisconsin' book, here.Your
photo looks identical to a "Blue Racer"
Old fables said that they'ed put their tail in
their mouth, and roll down hill,after you, faster
than you could run ! (also called Hoop Snake)

VaTom · May 27, 2013

Maybe greygoat got it. Look at the variations of eastern hog-nosed at the link below, and check your location against the map.
Virginia Snakes

GarrettFields · May 27, 2013

Sounds like a puff ader. Thats what we call em in the KY any way. They will scare the crap out of you when they do there cobra imitation, but Dad always said to leave em be.

JerryS · May 27, 2013

You might not have noticed its turned-up nose, but what you describe sure sounds like a hog-nosed snake/spreading adder (or, "spreading-outer", as we call them here in the deep south).

Unless, of course, some fool has released an actual cobra into the wild.

If it is a hog-nose, you can tap it with a stick (not hard, not lethally) and it will begin to writhe and twist around with its mouth wide open as though in its death throes, and blood will begin to ooze from the back of its throat. It's all for show, to convince you that he's mortally wounded and that you should leave him to die in peace. Drama queens.

Despite their fearsome appearance, they're harmless.

JerryS · May 27, 2013

Forgot to mention that like some other harmless snakes, the hog-nose will vibrate its stubby little tail in dry leaves to make you think he's a rattler. More acting, but it works. It will scare the krap out of you.

Texasmark1 · May 27, 2013

We call them chicken snakes down here. They crawl up into the attic of your barn and eat rodents. Some never come out. Had a neighbor had one that was about 4" in diameter. Or they get in your chicken coop and eat the eggs.

Mark

Fergienewbee · May 27, 2013

Man! You guys have some really cool snakes!!! You can keep the vipers, but the others are beautiful.

Larry

tg in VA · May 27, 2013

You all are great, as usual!!! Thanks for the information...looks like I have a hognose, glad I wasn't too quick with the Judge.

Greg1959 · May 27, 2013

(quoted from post at 02:08:37 05/28/13) Probably what we call a puff adder, but can"t say for sure without a picture, non-poisonous.

Poisonous snakes will have a very distinctive triangle head. Non-poisonous snakes will have a more oval shaped head.

The triangular head thing is not really a good indicator of a poisonous snake. A water snake has a triangular head and is not poisonous but is a nasty beast. (pic #1)

The coral snake is a slender snake and lacks the triangular head shape and is very poisonous. (pic #2)

gab · May 27, 2013

After mowing the yard one time I found a chopped up multi color snake laying close to the house, never seen anything like it, the kids were little and outside all the time and I was all shook up about this strange looking snake.
The next year I found one just like it on the other side of the house, caught it, stuck it in a 30 gal. barrel and took it to work with me. Nobody new what it was so I stopped at the Vet's office ,figured they new animals and they pretty much threw me out.
Then I remembered there was a new wild animal place in town and they said it was abeautiful corn snake and what you going to do with it. I said cut it in two unless they wanted it so they took it.
A few years later we were in the mall in Dubuque Iowa and the kids ran in to the pet store, we went in to get them an a young girl that worked there had one of them snakes wrapped around her arm up through her shirt and out the neck of the shirt. She said it's a corn snake, makes a great pet and it's on sale today for 90 bucks. Haven't seen one since.

smallercrawler · May 28, 2013

Heard old saying re color banded snakes: Red touch Black, Friend of Jack; Red touch Yellow, Kill a Fellow. Don't know if it works, I tend to treat all but black, garter, and king snakes as adversaries since, to my eye, they rarely appear as defined in pictures.

john in la · May 28, 2013

Are you sure that is a Non-venomous watersnake??
Sure looks like a Water Moccasin.

A watersnake will flatten its head when they feel threatened but do not have a obvious neck.
Harmless Watersnake or Venomous Water Moccasin?

Greg1959 · May 28, 2013

John

Here is a link to the image and description of the snake pictured.
link here

john in la · May 28, 2013

Very interesting.

That would be a dead snake in my yard as it looks to much like a cotton mouth.

hoof print · May 28, 2013

Uh, Greg that top one is a water moccasin

641Dave · May 28, 2013

TG I think you saw a spreading adder.

My daughter and I wadded out into our pond last weekend to wash the dirt and grass off us after a day of mowing. Didn't see a snake one...until we got out. We had four of those water snakes swimming from bank to bank like they were agitated or scared or something.

OT Snake ID

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