who knows snakes ???

[coolbikeguy]

found this on the sidewalk. what kind is it ??? keep in mind that i am in lancaster county Pa.

 

[coolbikeguy]

Re: who knows snakes ???

me either but i was curious to see what it is

 

[aspeck]

Re: who knows snakes ???

anvil shaped head and markings looks like a cooperhead to me ... poisonous. Be careful with it. Eats a lot of mice.

 

[mphy98]

Re: who knows snakes ???

As my wife says... it ain't a good snake because it is not a dead snake. Looks to match a copperhead photo I looked up on Yahoo. Be careful with it. It has the viper shaped head.

 

[grannyd]

Re: who knows snakes ???

I know snakes. Both the two-legged ones and the belly crawlers. Yep, you got yourself a copperhead. Be careful. They won't kill an adult but will make you wish you'd never seen it. I've killed and taken dozens out of our old trailer. Quite an adventure with those little devils.

God is great, Life is good, but some people just plain suck

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: who knows snakes ???

Copperhead it is! I have killed 6 of them on our property this year.
They are nasty critters if you have children or pets.

The venom they have will do some major damage.It starts to break down any flesh and a bite can cause a big loss of tissue.
I had a dog that was bit in the face and half of his face rotted off.
Poor dog had to have surgery to close the big hole in the side of his head.

 

[The_Kid]

Re: who knows snakes ???

Most likely an eastern milk snake, not a copperhead. Copperhead markings consist of a hour glass pattern with the narrow part on the back going to the wider portion on the sides being the darker color. Also the head is not triangular enough to be a venomous snake.

 

[coolbikeguy]

Re: who knows snakes ???

i read up on the hour glass pattern. plus this thing is no more than a foot long and the article said baby copperheads have a yellow tip tail ... it didnt say how long it stayed yellow though. and, being the big kid i am i poked at it with a couple different items and it was not aggressive at all. so im hoping no copperhead. ive lived here like 8 years and have only seen 2 black snakes and 1 garter snake.

 

[CN Spots]

Re: who knows snakes ???

Pattern's wrong for a copperhead... and too long/skinny.

I second the milksnake -I made you say milkshake

 

[Dave Barnett]

Re: who knows snakes ???

I believe The Kid is correct. Thats not a copperhead. It does look like what we used to call a milk snake. Being raised on a dairy farm I've seen a few. I live in central Mo so I am used to seeing a lot of copperheads. Send those pics of that snake to your state conservation office they will be able to identify it positively in a quick fashion. I know this sounds weird but when you are around large numbers of copperheads you will smell an odor that is like fresh sliced cucumbers. If you can safely do so check it for pits and fangs. If it has none then it's prob a milk snake or a water snake of some variety. Dave

 

[aspeck]

Re: who knows snakes ???

Went back and looked closer ... will concede to the Kid and switch my vote to Milk Snake.

 

[coolbikeguy]

Re: who knows snakes ???

i took some above advice and sent the pics to the fish and game commission. just waiting for an answer. the whole copperhead thing had me freaked ... i thought they were found in more rocky areas .. no ??

 

[H20Rat]

Re: who knows snakes ???

i hate snakes...

best snake i ever saw was about a 6 ft bullsnake, shortly before I ran him over with my tractor. Ohh, i had the mulching blades on with mulching plate in place, engine at full tilt. There was a red patch of grass where snakey used to be.

 

[HappierWet]

Re: who knows snakes ???

Yeah, Cornsnake or Milksnake

 

[coolbikeguy]

Re: who knows snakes ???

heres the reply i got back from the Pa fish and boat commission

Your recent email inquiry was forwarded to me from our webmaster. The Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission is the state agency responsible for the management and protection of fish, amphibians and reptiles, and aquatic invertebrates in Pennsylvania. Our work unit deals with reptiles and amphibians and questions pertaining to these species are forwarded to us.

The pictures you refer to are those of a juvenile black rat snake, which are completely harmless and non-venomous. Actually, these snakes are good to have around if you have mice, as they are their main source of prey. Black rat snakes often frequent basements and buildings.

 

[Gulfcoasters]

Re: who knows snakes ???

Most likely an eastern milk snake, not a copperhead. Copperhead markings consist of a hour glass pattern with the narrow part on the back going to the wider portion on the sides being the darker color. Also the head is not triangular enough to be a venomous snake.

The flat snout is the give away along with the forward placed eyes. Milk snake

 

[H20Rat]

Re: who knows snakes ???

The pictures you refer to are those of a juvenile black rat snake, which are completely harmless and non-venomous. Actually, these snakes are good to have around if you have mice, as they are their main source of prey. Black rat snakes often frequent basements and buildings.

I love those answers... I'm walking out barefoot to check on my boat, which would I rather step on, a snake or a mouse? (or better yet, digging around in a woodpile, which would you rather grab!?) Yes, there are a couple situations where mice can be destructive, but that's what cats are for. Can't really think of any time a snake would be a choice over a mouse.

 

[thefairlaneman]

Re: who knows snakes ???

I caught this black mama last week...Nasty thing

 

[sprintst]

Re: who knows snakes ???

Non venomous snakes are great. Eat rodents, etc.

The rest should be fed to lawnmovers or used for target practise. Unless of course they eat cats...

 

[kend301]

Re: who knows snakes ???

100% corn / rat / milk snake , as has been stated the real question is since it looks to be about 1 year old where are it's brothers and sisters as well as mom and dad ? Let it go , good for the ecosystem.