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Lampropeltis getula getula
Eastern subspecies. A beautiful snake, black with light yellow bands. Small for a kingsnake, at less than three feet long (maybe 2.5?); not full-grown yet. Surprisingly docile. It was shy at first and hid in a crevice in the rock, but once I coaxed it out, it let me hold it without any fuss at all. It was an amazing experience getting to handle this gorgeous wild snake!
Found on some stone steps beside a small creek in the woods. There were a lot of holes in the rocks where the snake could hide. It had a den at the top of the steps, where there was a tunnel in the dirt next to a rock. Little Mulberry Park.
Thanks to my awesome friend Renee for spotting this snake for me and taking photos while I held it! : )
8 Comments
Very nice Mandy! We have a new mission for Snakes of the United States created by the Center for Snake Conservation that you might like to add this beauty & your other wild snake spottings to - http://www.projectnoah.org/missions/1202...
Ive actually caught most of the species in Maryland, Virginia, & Pennsylvania. My faves were the Hognose,Rough green, Copperhead & Timber Rattlesnake. Now Im working on Florida. Check out my spottings, I have pics of a bunch of them. When I do,I only keep them & feed them for a short while then release ;)
No, I let it go. It was very obliging to let me hold it. It's cool that you've caught so many snakes :). I love the way they move along the ground. So graceful.
Such a beautiful specimine...Are ya gonna keep it for a bit? Yeah, Ive caught dozens & dozens of black rat snakes, & one corn. I almost had a yellow rat, but it was out of my reach...Kingsnakes are still my "holy grail" though. ;)
Aw, keep looking, Jamie! Yes, I couldn't believe my luck with this one. I almost never find any snakes, and those I do find are almost all rat snakes (which are cool too). Ironically, this beauty snuck up on me while I was looking for snakes hiding in the rocks. It was right behind me, about three feet away, in plain sight, and I didn't even see it until my friend called out, "Oh my gosh, look out, there's a SNAKE behind you!" I was THRILLED to see this stunning kingsnake.
Im from Maryland & Ive been herping for over 20 yrs. & & still have yet to find a kingsnake. Lucky ;o)
They are fun to hold! I have a milksnake for a pet, and she's very tame. I like the way they smell you by flicking their tongues.
nice one! i am terribly afraid of holding snakes , i want to hold one someday though :-)