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Snake Thread: 2023

314,854 Views | 1916 Replies | Last: 10 mo ago by 12f Mane
Double Twin Marine
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12:21p, 8/9/23
AG
Still struggle identifying some snakes but finally have something to contribute to this thread but love all the information.

My daughter was not too happy about the frogs demise but we got to chat about the "circle of life" so definitely worth it. Pretty sure it's a garter snake and was about 14"-18" long or so.


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jgh85Ag
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12:23p, 8/9/23
AG
My guess would be ribbon snake.
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FTAG 2000
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In reply to Double Twin Marine • 1:50p, 8/9/23
AG
Double Twin Marine said:
Still struggle identifying some snakes but finally have something to contribute to this thread but love all the information.

My daughter was not too happy about the frogs demise but we got to chat about the "circle of life" so definitely worth it. Pretty sure it's a garter snake and was about 14"-18" long or so.


Looks like a western ribbon snake
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Double Twin Marine
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In reply to FTAG 2000 • 1:58p, 8/9/23
AG
You're both probably correct. Meant to say garter or ribbon snake in the original post but left out the ribbon snake for some reason.
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oh no
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2:38p, 8/9/23
AG
I thought a ribbon was a type of garter anyway
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12f Mane
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4:23p, 8/9/23
AG
Same genus, different species. Texas specimens can be tough to differentiate. This one is a ribbon.
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jgh85Ag
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4:52p, 8/9/23
AG
But, I don't think the frog cares.
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fasthorse05
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In reply to TresPuertas • 8:28p, 8/9/23
My dad (class of '54) was stationed at Fort Bliss once he got his lieutenant bars.

He said every morning there were snakes on the greens of the golf course on base. Rattlesnakes in particular.

Never forget him telling me that story as an 8 year old. Clearly I haven't forgotten it 52 years later.
Hate is how progressives sustain themselves. Without hate, introspection begins to slip into the progressive's consciousness, threatening the progressive with the truth: that their ideas and opinions are illogical, hypocritical, dangerous, and asinine.
This is backed by data.
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mandevilleag
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9:49p, 8/11/23
My daughter went hiking over her summer break out near Crescent City, CA. She wants me to apologize for the poor photos; evidently the snake was very skittish. She has a very good eye for finding snakes. She heard this one rustle off the side of the trail. You can see its head just above the fern. The rest of the body is easier to see. She thinks it's a sharp-tailed snake.



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Bulldog73
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9:55p, 8/11/23
AG
A friend saw this leaving work today. Cute little buddy.
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12f Mane
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In reply to mandevilleag • 3:20p, 8/12/23
AG
Looks like a western yellow bellied racer to me.
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mandevilleag
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In reply to 12f Mane • 8:40p, 8/12/23
12f Mane said:
Looks like a western yellow bellied racer to me.
Thanks 12F Mane! That makes more sense. According to the interwebs, the sharp-tailed snake is mostly nocturnal, and is mostly underground during the summer. It appears it would have been an odd sighting.

What threw us off with the racer is that everything we read seemed to indicate they were more common in arid areas. This snake was found near the coast in redwood forest habitat.
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fasthorse05
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7:47p, 8/14/23
Has anyone here asked in the last ten pages what the behavior of snakes are in extremely hot weather?

I only ask because I know I've got 2-3 water snakes behind the house, and in the last three weeks, frogs have sprouted everywhere; normally a quick snack for any snake.

I assume like everything else, they're looking for shade and cooler water (good luck) like every other animal. But do they even come out when the low for the entire month has been 82 degrees (until tomorrow morning).

I'm in DFW
Hate is how progressives sustain themselves. Without hate, introspection begins to slip into the progressive's consciousness, threatening the progressive with the truth: that their ideas and opinions are illogical, hypocritical, dangerous, and asinine.
This is backed by data.
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P.U.T.U
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In reply to fasthorse05 • 8:03a, 8/15/23
AG
I haven't seen any of the normal water snakes with the warmer weather. When it cooled down last night I saw 1 even though the small fish population seems to be more active than normal. My guess is they are out in the early morning and staying cool most of the time.

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Mostly Foggy Recollection
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10:30p, 8/20/23
I was tending to our donkeys water trough yesterday and saw a Buttermilk Racer come out of nowhere with his chest bowed and strike a frog then he just sat there and ate it in front of me. Very cool snake!
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maroon barchetta
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In reply to Mostly Foggy Recollection • 11:04p, 8/20/23
Mostly Foggy Recollection said:
I was tending to our donkeys water trough yesterday and saw a Buttermilk Racer come out of nowhere with his chest bowed and strike a frog then he just sat there and ate it in front of me. Very cool snake!


The 4K video you posted is not displaying properly.
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Serious Lee
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3:57p, 8/21/23
I havent seen a snake of any kind since our last rain, first week of june. Not even water snakes, and i live on a lake (not a humble brag).
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Mostly Foggy Recollection
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In reply to maroon barchetta • 4:00p, 8/21/23
maroon barchetta said:
Mostly Foggy Recollection said:
I was tending to our donkeys water trough yesterday and saw a Buttermilk Racer come out of nowhere with his chest bowed and strike a frog then he just sat there and ate it in front of me. Very cool snake!


The 4K video you posted is not displaying properly.


I can text y'all the video I took of the snake eating the frog but I did miss the initial strike and his cat quick move to get the frog. That was what was impressive.
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MyNameIsJeff
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In reply to Mostly Foggy Recollection • 4:57p, 8/21/23
AG
You should post it here. I think buttermilks are some of the coolest snakes we have.
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Mostly Foggy Recollection
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5:57p, 8/21/23
I'll find a site to host it and will do so.
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nealan
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6:05p, 8/21/23
Saw a timber rattler dead in the road on the way to work this morning. Almost turned around for a picture , but didn't
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12f Mane
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In reply to nealan • 8:55a, 8/22/23
AG
Where abouts?
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nealan
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In reply to 12f Mane • 8:57a, 8/22/23
Beckville, Tx
Panola County

It was a beautiful snake, looked like it had just been hit. Probably 3 feet in length
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ought1ag
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9:33a, 8/22/23
AG
Sam National Forest pic from my buddy. ID assistance is greatly appreciated

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Daddy-O5
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In reply to ought1ag • 9:35a, 8/22/23
AG
Hognose
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MyNameIsJeff
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In reply to ought1ag • 9:35a, 8/22/23
AG
Harmless eastern hognose.

Technically venomous, but it's prey specific and not dangerous to humans. Cool snakes, and that's a pretty one. Their coloration can vary dramatically.
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ought1ag
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9:39a, 8/22/23
AG
Thanks!
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Badace52
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In reply to ought1ag • 9:48a, 8/22/23
AG
Got sent a picture of a nice looking one of those guys recently from a friend in Inez, TX near Victoria. Also no they didn't kill it, they were pinning it down to some thick grass with the metal bar.
No material on this site is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See full Medical Disclaimer.
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88Warrior
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9:59a, 8/22/23
Random snake type post… but one of our Pennsylvania employees called me yesterday telling me he saw his first copperhead ever. This is in the extreme northern Pennsylvania county of McKean where they have not been known to inhabit (or not likely seen..) before…
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MyNameIsJeff
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In reply to 88Warrior • 10:08a, 8/22/23
AG
I'm no expert, but the range maps I just looked at definitely show them in PA. McKean County looks to be a little out of range, but it's still pretty close to the ranges drawn and is definitely possible.

It's also definitely possible that your employee is a moron and it's some completely different species.
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12f Mane
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In reply to 88Warrior • 10:09a, 8/22/23
AG
My experience has lead me to believe that almost every person is wrong on identifying the snake they observed.
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88Warrior
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In reply to MyNameIsJeff • 10:14a, 8/22/23
MyNameIsJeff said:
I'm no expert, but the range maps I just looked at definitely show them in PA. McKean County looks to be a little out of range, but it's still pretty close to the ranges drawn and is definitely possible.

It's also definitely possible that your employee is a moron and it's some completely different species.


No doubt close enough to their established ranges just thought it was cool for him to have seen his first one …He's a long time outdoorsman and no moron…
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MyNameIsJeff
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In reply to 88Warrior • 10:26a, 8/22/23
AG
He's probably correct in that case. I'm just used to Nextdoor ID'ing every ratsnake as a super-duper death viper.
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ttha_aggie_09
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In reply to 12f Mane • 10:37a, 8/22/23
AG
12f Mane said:
My experience has lead me to believe that almost every person is wrong on identifying the snake they observed.
This is so true!

I don't expect people to be experts on snake ID but the degree of confidence people have only to be completely freaking wrong is astonishing.

To make matters worse (and I'm not picking on the poster above but it brings up a good point), the number of outdoorsman that can tell you how big a deer is down to 4-5" or properly ID the duck flying into the decoys, that have zero idea what a cottonmouth looks like is amazing…

"My brother shot a cottonmouth the other day"
"Oh yeah? You sure it was a cottonmouth"
"He's been hunting for 20 years, he knows what a cottonmouth is…"
(Looks at picture and it's a BBWS)
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htxag09
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In reply to ttha_aggie_09 • 10:41a, 8/22/23
AG
I'll go ahead and claim to be an expert on snake ID's as far as my local nextdoor group goes (obviously because of the training of this thread).

Central Houston, 99% of posts are hognose, with the hognose flattening out 95% of the time. Seems the first comment always seems to correctly ID it then they get 5 replies saying that they're wrong and it's "poisonous" so to call someone to dispatch it ASAP.
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