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Project Noah Nature School
Nerodia erythrogaster flavigaster
Thick snake... about 3" in diameter, but not very long... only about 1.5' long. held his neck down with the handle of a cane and his head flattened out. He wrapped his body around the cane, giving off snake musk.
As my dog got bitten by a copperhead last year, we took no chances and the snake was shot... but only wounded, it took off and ended up somewhere under my car. Eek!
Awesome find, but sorry to hear it was destroyed. Thank you so much Neil for the wonderful resource link. I too get cotton-mouths on my property along with black racers, so this link will definitely come in handy.
NeilDazet - yes! I apparently found it at the same time you did. Poor guy. I wish he hadn't come into our yard.
It's hard to tell from these photos - it was late in the day and our property is filled with trees, so we don't get a lot of sunlight - but this snake was almost black in color. A dull, not shiny black.
I actually first thought it was a rubber snake someone had thrown in our yard. It had a lifeless appearance.
His face looked similar to the common water snake link you provided, but the color is wrong... and I think the head was slightly broader.
This link may help in telling the difference between copperheads, cottonmouths, and harmless watersnakes. https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hph...
I appreciate it. I love animals and don't have a problem with snakes... but ever since I saw my poor baby's head and neck get the size of a cantaloupe, I've had a zero tolerance for them in our yard. It was a beautiful snake.
In a perfect world, I would have relocated him... but my dog is 14... we weren't taking chances.
This was a harmless watersnake in the Genus Nerodia. Cottonmouths have black bars on their belly and have elliptical pupils. This snake has a plain belly and round pupils. I know I've seen a lot more snakes than the average person, but I don't think watersnakes and cottonmouths look anything alike, especially if you get to see them in close proximity such as this spotting.
My suggestion would be to carefully examine photos of watersnakes and cottonmouths and learn the differences. That way you and the dog will have safe walks outdoors.
Spotted on May 7, 2012
Submitted on May 8, 2012
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