- Northern Brownsnake, Here is a link to some info:
fwie.fw.vt.edu/VHS/reptiles/snakes/northern-brownsnake/no... - Thanks for the info. I'm one of those people who feels 'a snake, is a snake, is a snake' haha I'm petrified of any of them. Glad this one is harmless! - Theresa in MS
Beautiful Little Snake (In The Shade)
I was working in the garden and I found this little snake - it had beautiful markings. I am not sure of the type. I relocated him a part of the garden where he'd be safe from the dogs and lawn mower.
Comments and faves
S@RG@M, Eddi van W., Crotalinae, Chingul-senpai, and 22 other people added this photo to their favorites.
Theresa in MS (44 months ago | reply)
I'm no expert but this one looks poisonous and my DH agrees *shudder*
Tobyotter (44 months ago | reply)
He could be, we have a couple of poisonous types in the area. I'll have to do some research - but this one was non-aggressive and the head was more smooth shaped, not wide on the side like posionous one, but this is a small one.
Tobyotter (44 months ago | reply)
I identified the snake - it is a baby Northern Brownsnake - Harmless - adult length is 9 to 13 inches. Here is a link to some info:
fwie.fw.vt.edu/VHS/reptiles/snakes/northern-b rownsnake/no...
mishmishiya (44 months ago | reply)
What do these little guys do, exactly? Eat bugs?
Red~Star (44 months ago | reply)
Never seen one like this....we mainly have garter snakes here. Excellent shot of it in your hand...so nice and sharp. Glad you found it and relocated it to a safer spot.
Tobyotter (44 months ago | reply)
They are bug eaters.
HGHjim (44 months ago | reply)
Hi, I'm an admin for a group called Herpetology / Everything REPTILIAN, and we'd love to have this added to the group!
MUSEUM OF WORLD WONDERS (Part 1) Dr.Takeshi Yamada (27 months ago | reply)
cool snake picture!
I also have many pictures of my snakes. Please take a look at them, too :-)
www.flickr.com/photos/museumofworldwonders/55 16215233/
www.flickr.com/photos/museumofworldwonders/54 50711920/
sixpounder (22 months ago | reply)
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Somebody spots a beautiful little snake, but wonders, is this a milk snake or coral snake? Hmm, how does that rhyme go? Red touch yellow, kill a fellow; or is it black touch yellow? Getting the words right is actually a matter of life and death.
Those who don't know snakes well (and that's almost everyone) should just leave them alone. Without a look at the ventral side, even experts can mistake subspecies when they encounter specimens with atypical coloration. Juveniles can be especially difficult to distinguish, and for most poisonous snakes in the U.S., to compensate for size the juveniles' venom is more potent, thus their bite might be as dangerous as that of mature specimen.
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Tobyotter (22 months ago | reply)
I am quite sure this is a Northern Brown Snake ( www.dgif.virginia.gov/wildlife/information/?s =030041 ) or an Eastern Worm Snake ( www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/eastern__w orm_snake.htm ). I pick NBS due to the marking on the back and neck.
What I hate is folks that do no take the time to learn about the identification of snakes in their area and kill every snake they see. We have 3 poisonous snakes in the area but they usually avoid people - rattle snakes, moccasins and cotton mouth (some say copperheads) - but in 34 years out here I have only seen two -both in the Dismal Swamp. These little snakes are all over my yard, under mulch, in the shed, under thrash cans.
Education is a must before picking up any snake. I only pick them up to move them out of harms way (out of road, away from dogs, lawn mowers and neighbors intent on hacking them to death.
sixpounder (22 months ago | reply)
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Your ID of that snake was not (and is not) questioned. Rather it was that picking up a juvenile to photograph and asking fellow flickroids for an ID which made me cringe.
Having hiked and camped in many parts of my home state, being able to ID snakes on sight seemed a worthy skill. Trouble is, Texas has 10 kinds of rattlesnakes, 3 kinds of copperheads, a thriving population of western cottonmouths, and some of the bigger coral snakes anywhere--110 species and sub-species of snakes in all. Here in the eastern part of the state some counties have up to 60 kinds of non-venomous snakes. This is paradise for herpetologists, and a living nightmare for ophidiophobes (folks with an abnormal fear of snakes).
The first speed bump in my quest to become wise in the ways of all things that slither locally was the matter of color and pattern variation. Not only do some of these poisonous species come in two or three basic color schemes which are disturbingly dissimilar, but within any species are specimens that don't look remotely like most of their kind. Here is the scariest example: say a chap sees a small shiny black snake that doesn't have a triangular head. Safe to handle, right? Not every Texas coral snake is black, yellow and maroon. If our chap has picked up an all-black coral snake, without antivenom pronto he can probably kiss his ass arrivederci.
Another discouragement was the impressive list of look-alikes--non-venomous snakes that do their best to mimic the color patterns and behaviors of poisonous snakes. Some even bite.
The clincher was those snakes I got very clear photographs of, but wasn't able to ID. I emailed the pics to various herpetologists. In one case, three experts came up with three different IDs. Twice the pros said ventral side photos would be needed for positive ID. Recognizing futility, I ended my home schooling in snakes.
There is a pasture in front of our place, and forest with a creek behind, so snakes routinely find their way into our flower beds. Most I can ID instantly. None are killed--except a cottonmouth in the garage, and a juvenile copperhead that got into the house. Since those incidents we've put snake repellent on the thresholds and weep holes. I still photograph snakes occasionally, but otherwise leave them alone.
Humans come with two instinctive fears: fear of falling, and fear of snakes. Since these behaviors are hard-wired, they must have been important for the survival of our species. Thus the impulse many people have to "whack em all" is understandable. But for modern humans there's a lot of ancient instinct which is best unlearned.
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Tobyotter (22 months ago | reply)
Point taken, but I live on salt water - very few if any local water snakes venture in the salt water and if they do the Osprey soon feast on them. I knew this was either a Northern Brown Snake or a Worm Snake but several people wentback and forth on which it was - then I found that the Brown snake has a band around the neck. I only handle ones in my yard i am sure of: garters, black racers, black snakes Northern Browns and worm snakes (I have seen green snakes but only a few and I leave them alone). If it is a brown snake of any size I use a rake to bag them and take them out of the area, off to the wilderness. In thirty-four year out here the news only reported one poisonous snake bite - a young man in the air force who brought a rattle snake from Texas as a pet.
I have been picking up snakes for decades, I have been bit and sliced by several, none poisonous. If I am in an area I am not familiar with I leave snakes alone.
Here is one I got out of my shed - baby Northern Brown Snake - this area is full of these:
kitty@kat123 (20 months ago | reply)
one of my cats got bit by this snake will my cat be ok is this snake posines
sunnykarakadan (19 months ago | reply)
nice man....!
yoahbravo (14 months ago | reply)
used snake
ahbravo.deviantart.com/#/d4vcg1r
Tobyotter (14 months ago | reply)
Thanks for letting me know
concinnusman2 (13 months ago | reply)
They eat slugs mainly
Tobyotter (12 months ago | reply)
play talk learn (8 months ago | reply)
Thanks for sharing this photo - I will be using it to illustrate a post on www.playtalklearn.com. I will of course link back here so everyone knows that it's your image (and hand!).
Cheers
Emily
Tobyotter (8 months ago | reply)
concinnusman2 (6 months ago | reply)
Mostly slugs and earthworms. No "bugs" or insects. Nothing with an exoskeleton.
No snake is poisonous, but some are venomous. Not this one. Completely harmless.
Etchings Plus - playing on new smart phone! (5 months ago | reply)
I have been looking for a snake image for a linocut, this one has made a great shape, would you mind if I used it as a basis of the picture
Tobyotter (5 months ago | reply)