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Bulldawg
03-26-2008, 21:50
Hey, what kind of snake is this dude. He was sunning himself Sunday afternoon up on Tray Mountain and my son wants to know "exactly" what kind of snake it was. I just am 99.9% sure it was not poisonous. Thanks in advance for answers!!

Wise Old Owl
03-26-2008, 21:53
Garter -non posionous



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garter_snake

saimyoji
03-26-2008, 21:53
Eastern Garter.

nice pic

Bulldawg
03-26-2008, 21:56
Cool, I am not a real snake identifier. I just know how to look at eyes and look for pits behind the mouth. But since I am not a real pro at identifying them, I just steer clear. This dude had to get a little prodding from a hiking pole before he'd move. We watched him for like 10 minutes hoping he would move on his own. But he was not going to be deterred from hanging out in that warm southern spring sun. A little wave or two in front of him moved him off the trail.

Thanks for the answers!!

Tin Man
03-26-2008, 22:02
Cool, I am not a real snake identifier. I just know how to look at eyes and look for pits behind the mouth. But since I am not a real pro at identifying them, I just steer clear. This dude had to get a little prodding from a hiking pole before he'd move. We watched him for like 10 minutes hoping he would move on his own. But he was not going to be deterred from hanging out in that warm southern spring sun. A little wave or two in front of him moved him off the trail.

Thanks for the answers!!

Don't shake, prod, or pole the snake out in the open. You don't want to get caught playing with it.

Bulldawg
03-26-2008, 22:22
Don't shake, prod, or pole the snake out in the open. You don't want to get caught playing with it.


Had I even remotely thought it was poisonous, I would have just probably given it a wide birth and went by it. Like I said, I was 99.9% sure it wasn't, so I gently moved him out of our way.

Tin Man
03-26-2008, 22:27
We watched him for like 10 minutes hoping he would move on his own. But he was not going to be deterred from hanging out in that warm southern spring sun. A little wave or two in front of him moved him off the trail.



Don't stare at the snake either. If you see one hanging out, its best to look the other way and move on. Waving is not advisable either, he may get the wrong idea.

saimyoji
03-26-2008, 22:32
Don't shake, prod, or pole the snake out in the open. You don't want to get caught playing with it.


Had I even remotely thought it was poisonous, I would have just probably given it a wide birth and went by it. Like I said, I was 99.9% sure it wasn't, so I gently moved him out of our way.

i think you missed the joke....:rolleyes:

Tin Man
03-26-2008, 22:34
i think you missed the joke....:rolleyes:

Shush it! You're spoiling my fun!

saimyoji
03-26-2008, 22:36
new trail name for ya: snake charmer. :D

Bulldawg
03-26-2008, 23:07
i think you missed the joke....:rolleyes:

Hmmm, yeah, I went back and read the thread after I posted and got it the second go around. I just didn't want to admit to it that quick!!:eek::eek:

Nearly Normal
03-26-2008, 23:27
Plenty of Garter Snakes around Here. They get to be 5 or 6 feet long.
It is a hell of a job running the thing out of a Wood Duck box.
It's just one of many that folks used to call a chicken snake.
It is not a friendly snake and will give a nasty bite.
It's one of the meanest snakes I ever saw. Not to be handled. It will bite the piss out of you.
I saw one swallow 5 eggs in the chicken house then crawl to a fence post and wrap itself around and squeeze until they broke.
Mean!

Erin
03-26-2008, 23:40
A pretty docile snake, actually. Gum on you at most. Settles down with handling. You wiill have the Eastern Garter and the Eastern Ribbon, which look very similar. Stripes long ways down the back are non- venomout. But you did the right thing, if you don't knowthem , don' mess with them. But don't just kill them. Ask for help or assitance from a local hep. group. They willl help you with snake problems, questions and relocation of problem snakes.

Bob S
03-27-2008, 01:01
I’ve never seen a snake that I could not walk away from faster then it could move. Just give them a wide berth and move on. Never seen a rattlesnake in the wild, but I would guess they are easy to out distance. Although I think a 22 may be a good choice here.

envirodiver
03-27-2008, 01:06
As a Ranger once told me. More of them see us than we see them.

mudhead
03-27-2008, 08:07
will give a nasty bite.
Mean!
Yes.

Gum on you at most.
no.

They cheerfully draw blood. Stay stuck on when you look at your hand and shake.

Germy mouth.

I enjoy seeing them. Especially sunning.

Lobo
03-27-2008, 08:40
When first captured they will bite you and then discharge musk from glands at the base of the tail which has an unpleasant, sweetish oder,

Brushy Sage
03-27-2008, 19:00
I used to pick them up in my bare hands to save them from the cats that brought them to our front door in Maryland. After one turned around and bit me (they have very sharp teeth), i put on heavy gloves for the rescue operation.

Deerleg
03-27-2008, 21:28
Saw this little guy in GA :
http://i29.tinypic.com/1556zc8.jpg

Bulldawg
03-27-2008, 21:33
Saw this little guy in GA :
http://i29.tinypic.com/1556zc8.jpg

Now him, I'd probably not mess around with in that way!!

Wise Old Owl
03-27-2008, 22:06
Now that we have the easy identification taken care of..... I never thought the thread would be this far off course ... So Identify this snake please.....


http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg275/MarkSwarbrick/snake1.jpg

Ashman
03-28-2008, 08:30
That's not a snake, it's a Texas Tapeworm!

canoehead
03-28-2008, 08:42
That could the rare Green banded Snozila, often found rummaging around in peoples faces....:eek:

Thoughtful Owl
03-28-2008, 09:24
Now that we have the easy identification taken care of..... I never thought the thread would be this far off course ... So Identify this snake please.....

http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg275/MarkSwarbrick/snake1.jpg

Now that is discusting. Who in their right mind would allow such a thin?

tx.katie.finch
03-28-2008, 13:20
So... What was the one attached to the trecking pole?

tx.katie.finch
03-28-2008, 13:21
Gotta be honest... snakes are the last thing that I want to see this summer. (Would much rather deal with a bear.) Talk about shaky heebee-geebies!

Cuffs
03-28-2008, 13:23
And remember, just because a snake wags its tail at you, does not mean it wants to be petted!

Nearly Normal
03-28-2008, 14:40
Very small or young copperhead is what it looks like to me.

Bulldawg
03-28-2008, 14:49
Very small or young copperhead is what it looks like to me.

I concur.

Streamweaver
03-28-2008, 15:00
Plenty of Garter Snakes around Here. They get to be 5 or 6 feet long.
It is a hell of a job running the thing out of a Wood Duck box.
It's just one of many that folks used to call a chicken snake.
It is not a friendly snake and will give a nasty bite.
It's one of the meanest snakes I ever saw. Not to be handled. It will bite the piss out of you.
I saw one swallow 5 eggs in the chicken house then crawl to a fence post and wrap itself around and squeeze until they broke.
Mean!


if its 5 or 6 feet long it aint a gater snake!! maybe a rat snake or gopher .

FFTorched
03-28-2008, 16:44
I have spent my entire youth and much of my young adulthood in the mountains of PA and everybody talks about our timber rattlers but I have yet to run into one in the wild. Ran into a copperhead once with a buddy but never a rattle snake all the years of exploring the woods.

Erin
03-29-2008, 00:16
I don't know Georgia snakes but that looks like an Eastern Diamondback rattlesanake, which we don't get here. If it is a harmless snake, let me know since I want to learn about out of state snakes I do not see out here. I could not really tell from the photo.

Nearly Normal
03-29-2008, 06:07
We have a couple of interesting ones not limited to GA.
The corn snake is probably the prettiest. It is a constrictor and commonly seen in trees.
The hog nose snake is a strange one. Commonly called a puff ader or a speading ader. It will hiss and spread it's head sort of like a cobra. They are very colorful. They will turn upside down and play dead when threatened. You can turn it over and it will continue to turn back over.

Copperhead, Rattlesnake (timber or canebreak, eastern diamondback and they say a pigmy), water moccasin or cottonmouth and the coral snake are poison.
Copperheads have a bad habit off coiling up and snoozing in a sunny spot on the trail. They are difficult to see. They blend perfectly with leaf litter.

I think the indigo snake and eastern diamondback may be on the endangered list.

You'll have a better chance at stirring up yellowjackets or paper wasp than snakes.
Ticks will be the most common pest causing a health problem.

Nearly Normal
03-29-2008, 06:20
if its 5 or 6 feet long it aint a gater snake!! maybe a rat snake or gopher .

Well, maybe 3 or 4 ft. Could be 5 too.
I might have stretched him some.

Hey, I know, let me tell you about a fish that got away..................

dessertrat
03-29-2008, 09:39
Saw this little guy in GA :
http://i29.tinypic.com/1556zc8.jpg

Why on God's green earth would you. . . never mind. . .

turtle fast
03-29-2008, 13:21
yeh.....the snake IS posionous....as per the cross hatchings and head shaped, definately a pit viper...now if you could only see its tail and as the sun kinda hampers a color match...I think a copperhead? But YES posionous.

FeO2
03-29-2008, 13:28
The Eastern Garter snake is the preference when making snake skin lingerie!:eek: Especially belts:D

saimyoji
03-29-2008, 16:06
yeh.....the snake IS posionous....as per the cross hatchings and head shaped, definately a pit viper...now if you could only see its tail and as the sun kinda hampers a color match...I think a copperhead? But YES posionous.

No snakes are poisonous. All are edible if you remove the venom glands. :cool:

saimyoji
03-29-2008, 16:07
No snakes are poisonous. All are edible if you remove the venom glands. :cool:

and by remove I mean chop off the head.

Wise Old Owl
03-29-2008, 20:26
I have spent my entire youth and much of my young adulthood in the mountains of PA and everybody talks about our timber rattlers but I have yet to run into one in the wild. Ran into a copperhead once with a buddy but never a rattle snake all the years of exploring the woods.


I concur, yet now that I really look for them I do see them before I step on them.. Doesn't allow for me to see much of the woods he he he..

Wise Old Owl
03-29-2008, 20:28
Why on God's green earth would you. . . never mind. . .

Hey you posted and hit the Submit button.. before thinking! Gosh I have done that! -



Hey To -Thoughtful Owl, How come you havent upgraded your Avatar?

mkingsva
03-29-2008, 21:31
I agree this is a garter snake. And I agree they like to bite. Have been bitten once myself. But they are "good" snakes...eat mice and rodents. Like to have them around my yard. But any wild animal is best left alone.

emerald
03-29-2008, 22:10
I have spent my entire youth and much of my young adulthood in the mountains of PA and everybody talks about our timber rattlers but I have yet to run into one in the wild. Ran into a copperhead once with a buddy but never a rattlesnake all the years of exploring the woods.

It's a matter of being in the right place at the right time. If I wanted to see a timber rattlesnake, I know how to increase my odds of seeing one and might be able to find one given some time. That said, I didn't encounter my 1st Pennsylvania rattlesnake until my 40th birthday and by the time I'd become a 2000 miler, I'd seen only 1 and I still have yet to see my 2nd on the AT.


I concur, yet now that I really look for them I do see them before I step on them. Doesn't allow for me to see much of the woods.

Better to focus one's attention on the treadway. Maybe you should stop and look if you want to see the woods?

Wise Old Owl
03-29-2008, 22:23
Crap now to an acceptable hiker I have to look at my watch? I don't have a watch... I am not worthy....


Now as someone who has been bitten . THATS NOT FUNNY... STOP LAUGHING... GOD THAT HURTS..... HERE DOES THIS MAKE YOU FEEL BETTER ....<emotioncon> ****e that didn't work .... Computer breakdown.....

DAKS
03-30-2008, 07:42
since we are on the topic of snakes......................did anyone hear about this? in gloucester VA, there is apparently a deadly "fer-de-lance"(sp?) on the loose? gloucester is well away from the AT so not to worry! the said snake is apparently from south america and it is one of the most venomous snakes known to man, or so the local news reports?! does anyone know any additional info. on this snake etc? hope this isn't too far of topic or scare anyone too much?

saimyoji
03-30-2008, 08:15
since we are on the topic of snakes......................did anyone hear about this? in gloucester VA, there is apparently a deadly "fer-de-lance"(sp?) on the loose? gloucester is well away from the AT so not to worry! the said snake is apparently from south america and it is one of the most venomous snakes known to man, or so the local news reports?! does anyone know any additional info. on this snake etc? hope this isn't too far of topic or scare anyone too much?

I saw a Jeff Corwin show about snakes. Apparently the fer-de-lance's venom is so hemotoxic it will cause your blood to congeal in your veins in a matter of seconds. Not to mention the neurotoxins will cause your heart and diaphragm to become paralyzed. :sun

Nearly Normal
03-30-2008, 11:13
What kind of dern fool would want one?
Much less let it get away.
Did they horse whip the sob that done it?
If not, why not?

DAKS
03-30-2008, 11:19
What kind of dern fool would want one?
Much less let it get away.
Did they horse whip the sob that done it?
If not, why not?

according to the local news, the snake was reportedly stolen out of the owners vehicle while parked at a shopping center? the caller/owner phoned police via the anonymous crime-line to report the theft? could be and hopefully is a really, really bad prank phone call.:-?

Deerleg
03-31-2008, 21:51
Why on God's green earth would you. . . never mind. . .
L O L ...It didn't seem to mind and it was quite small and never got any closer then the length of my trekking pole. :p

Thoughtful Owl
04-01-2008, 10:43
Hey To -Thoughtful Owl, How come you havent upgraded your Avatar?

Now that I have hi-jacked this thread...let me say I just hadn't taken the time to do so. Appreciate it!

Thoughtful Owl
04-01-2008, 10:51
since we are on the topic of snakes......................did anyone hear about this? in gloucester VA, there is apparently a deadly "fer-de-lance"(sp?) on the loose? gloucester is well away from the AT so not to worry! the said snake is apparently from south america and it is one of the most venomous snakes known to man, or so the local news reports?! does anyone know any additional info. on this snake etc? hope this isn't too far of topic or scare anyone too much?

I hadn't heard about this article, but last night on the news, there was a guy in Roanoke, VA with a 6' Nile crocodile (http://www.wsls.com/sls/news/local/article/nile_crocodile_found_in_local_bedroom/7998/)living in a tank in the guys bedroom. Why would anyone want a Nile Croc with razor sharp teeth living in their bedroom?

envirodiver
04-01-2008, 11:06
I hadn't heard about this article, but last night on the news, there was a guy in Roanoke, VA with a 6' Nile crocodile (http://www.wsls.com/sls/news/local/article/nile_crocodile_found_in_local_bedroom/7998/)living in a tank in the guys bedroom. Why would anyone want a Nile Croc with razor sharp teeth living in their bedroom?

Sometimes people let things with razor sharp teeth sleep in the bed with them. Just part of being married I guess.:rolleyes: