Guardian Nature School Team Contact Blog Project Noah Facebook Project Noah Twitter

A worldwide community photographing and learning about wildlife

Join Project Noah!
nature school apple icon

Project Noah Nature School visit nature school

Juvenile Coachwhip?

Masticophis flagellum

Description:

I have yet to see any coachwhips at this age and with these markings, so I am only IDing these photos due to the snake's behavior. The janitor at my workplace swept this guy into the production area, and was going to kill it until I intervened. I knew it wasn't poisonous, but the way it flicked the end of its take and struck out made everyone else feel afraid of it. When I walked towards it, he coiled up all but the tip of his tail, shaking it like a rattler and raising his head as if to bite. He struck at my boot several times. I picked him up with a t-shirt so as not to cause him injury. Afterwards I took him into the break room, uncovered him, and took the photos that you see here. He was calm and coiled around my fingers. I took him back outside, and released him in the underbrush in the woods. :-) Happy snake. Alive and well now. Education before ignorance is a key factor in conservation.

Species ID Suggestions



Sign in to suggest organism ID

3 Comments

AshleyT
AshleyT 11 years ago

Pretty guy! Please be sure to add this to the Snakes of the United States – CSC mission to help with their citizen science project! http://www.projectnoah.org/missions/1202...

MitchRay
MitchRay 12 years ago

I agree with Michael. It looks like a Speckled Kingsnake, Lampropeltis getula holbrooki.

MichaelFulbright
MichaelFulbright 12 years ago

Looks like a kingsnake, Lampropeltis getula...but I'm not sure of subspecies or common name.

MarieHyrule
Spotted by
MarieHyrule

Minden, Louisiana, USA

Spotted on Jun 20, 2011
Submitted on Jun 23, 2011

Related Spottings

Coachwhip Coachwhip Eastern coachwhip Whipsnake

Nearby Spottings

Eastern Fence Swift Green darner dragonfly Ebony Jewelwing Magnolia
Noah Guardians
Noah Sponsors
join Project Noah Team

Join the Project Noah Team