View Full Version : Snake photo.
vipahman
05-22-2008, 11:04
Please help me identify this snake. It's about 6 ft long and black without any markings.
It startled my buddy as it was right along the trail edge in NY Section 6. We photographed it and then it proceeded to bury it's head under a rock leaving about 5 ft of body exposed. I couldn't resist petting it's tail. :banana I know, leave no trace. :eek:
So what is it and is it poisonous?
Jack Tarlin
05-22-2008, 11:10
Looks like a black rat snake to me, tho it's a big one for NY.
Definitely not poisonous......I've seen big timber rattlers on the Trail in NY but they don't look like this and they sure in hell aren't six feet long or anything near it.
Anyway, definitely not a dangerous snake, tho in future, you may wanna refrain from petting these guys if you ain't exactly sure what you're petting.
Just a thought..... :D
musicwoman
05-22-2008, 12:06
It's a black rat snake. You can tell by the light colored belly.
Like Jack said, it's probably better to not pet a snake if you're unfamiliar on how to tell if they're venomous or not :).
"just because a snake wags its tail at you, doesnt mean it wants to be petted!"
High Life
05-22-2008, 13:37
Looks like a black rat snake to me, tho it's a big one for NY.
Definitely not poisonous......I've seen big timber rattlers on the Trail in NY but they don't look like this and they sure in hell aren't six feet long or anything near it.
Anyway, definitely not a dangerous snake, tho in future, you may wanna refrain from petting these guys if you ain't exactly sure what you're petting.
Just a thought..... :D
jack check this one out just south fingerboard in harriman last summer:eek:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/broken_images/1347665901/sizes/l/in/set-72157601907531843/
High Life
05-22-2008, 13:39
black rat snake can be aggressive
Time To Fly 97
05-22-2008, 13:44
How can you tell that is a rat snake versus a racer?
Happy hiking!
TTF
Looks like a black rat snake to me, tho it's a big one for NY.
Definitely not poisonous......I've seen big timber rattlers on the Trail in NY but they don't look like this and they sure in hell aren't six feet long or anything near it.
Anyway, definitely not a dangerous snake, tho in future, you may wanna refrain from petting these guys if you ain't exactly sure what you're petting.
Just a thought..... :D
Though not poisonous, I understand they will bite rather ferociously. A pit bull isn't poisonous either. But I don't want to be chewed on, regardless. The biggest black snake I saw on the trail was in a tree hunting down a squirrel.
Weary
It is a black rat snake. They are non-venomous but do give a nasty bite if they get irritated. We have them at work all the time. Just yesterday I had one on the porch of where I teach.(I teach in a wilderness school) I do handle them but would not reccommend that someone who doesn't know what they are doing actually pick them up. They are however, fascinating. :)
musicwoman
05-22-2008, 15:46
How can you tell that is a rat snake versus a racer?
Happy hiking!
TTF
A racer will have a dark belly, a black rat will have a light colored belly. Also, the scales on a rat are keeled while the scales on a racer are smooth.
Time To Fly 97
05-22-2008, 15:58
Thank you.
Happy hiking!
TTF
The Cheat
05-22-2008, 16:54
Doesn't sound like petting it was a problem, seeing as it no longer was alive. :(
sheepdog
05-22-2008, 19:15
Doesn't sound like petting it was a problem, seeing as it no longer was alive. :(
The snake was not dead. He said the snake stuck its head under a rock.
vipahman
05-23-2008, 18:08
Thanks for the identificiation. :cool:
The snake is very much alive and healthy. And while I did pet it, it was a fleeting moment since it couldn't see me with it's head under the rock.
I once petted a moose on the trail in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.:eek: Hey, they were right in my face as I rounded a corner on the trail. My heart was pounding after that experience.
troutseeker
05-30-2008, 16:03
Racers and Rat snakes are great to have around your property or campsite. They are efficient hunters and keep the rodents away, which of course has mutiple advantages. The most being that without rodents around, there is a far less chance that the Copperheads and Timbers will make my property home. Ultimatelt, they do not want to compete for a food source when other areas make it easier to feed.
The Cheat
05-30-2008, 17:02
Thanks for the identificiation. :cool:
The snake is very much alive and healthy. And while I did pet it, it was a fleeting moment since it couldn't see me with it's head under the rock.
I once petted a moose on the trail in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.:eek: Hey, they were right in my face as I rounded a corner on the trail. My heart was pounding after that experience.
My apologies, I thought that said "...I proceeded to bury it's head under a rock..." :o:datz
modiyooch
05-30-2008, 21:15
I heard what I thought was a rattle, but when I looked at the snake closer it was not a rattlesnake. What snake mimics a rattler?
musicwoman
05-30-2008, 22:54
I heard what I thought was a rattle, but when I looked at the snake closer it was not a rattlesnake. What snake mimics a rattler?
There are many snakes that vibrate their tail when they feel threatened. Perhaps if you could describe the snake and the area you were in, it might help pinpoint a species.
troutseeker
06-03-2008, 23:18
I heard what I thought was a rattle, but when I looked at the snake closer it was not a rattlesnake. What snake mimics a rattler?
I have seen black snakes do this, as well as copperheads. Often rattling against leaves which can be a little deceiving.
Tennessee Viking
06-03-2008, 23:24
Racers are known to have a bad temper. They will come after you if you get to close. I heard of a story of a guy grabbing a racer, teased and tortured the thing, and threw over the fence. Five minutes later, the racer came back through the fence and started chewing on the guys leg.
Ditto Musicwoman. Black rats do vibrate their tail and sometimes emit a smelly musk after they crap on you. Glad you did not kill it, it will eat the shelter mice! I have been bitten when I was young and grabbing them too far down and too hard. No big deal, like pin punctures. They settle down with handling too. They will not come after you but do a defensive stance that is pretty cool. Once you catch one it will settle down, just don't hold it too tight, get some cool pics draping it around you and then release it. I caught a six footer here last year with a t shirt and after five minutes or so everyone had pics with it then we let it go right where we found it.
I apologize. I shoud have said based on the picture, that snake looks just like the black rat snake we get here with the white chin, but I would have to see if the scales were keeled or not to know whether a black rat or a racer, but it really looks like a black rat snake based on the bread box shape and white chin.