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Reptiles & Amphibians

Help identifying a snake

9 years ago

Hello,

I need help trying to identify this snake we found in the yard. The property is adjoining a creek and we've heard that Copperheads are frequent in this area of Atlanta. The snake in the image was dead when we came across it - probably hit by the landscapers mower. What I'm curious about is whether it's a venomous snake or
not? We have a 5yr old who loves to play in the yard and seeing this one literally 2 feet away from the deck has us a little worried. Any help in identifying this snake would be helpful, it was a little over a foot long.

Thanks for your help. Any advice on how to keep them out of the yard - I don't really care if they coexist in the far end of the yard - just want to figure out how to keep my kid's play area free of them.

TIA

Here is a link that might be useful: Additional images

Featured Answer

OzarksNatureGuide

9 years ago

I agree. It appears to be a brown snake. For future reference, if you turn a dead snake or even a shed snake skin over to observe the ventral scales, you will be able to tell whether or not the snake was venomous even if you can't determine the species. If there is a single row of scales along the entire underside of the snake, it is venomous. If the scales divide into two rows after the anal plate, it is a non-venomous snake. Of course the the best method is to learn what they look like.

Comments (7)

User
9 years ago
This is a Brownsnake (Storeria dekayi). They are completely harmless insect eating snakes. They don't bite and are completely innocuous.
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Sharon, I am a devoted snake lover and hate to see dead snakes posted like this, but I always consider the bigger picture and benefit of responding positively. Amylynn had a serious concern if the snake was dangerous or not. If she didn't, she wouldn't have posted it here. Remember, the real "snake haters" of the world will kill the snake and not really care if was venomous or not because "the only good snake is a dead snake". They don't post questions. The people posting questions are trying to gain information so they can make more informed decisions in the future. Criticizing people here for seeking information may be counterproductive. Hopefully, Amylynn will NOT kill the next racer she finds because of the help she gained here. So even though this racer died, it may have died for a cause.
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Very gravid(pregnant) and harmless female Northern Water Snake(Nerodia sipedon). These feed on fish and amphibians and are harmless, although if grabbed or handled roughly, they will bite in self-defense and spray foul-smelling musk. She is probably seeking a sheltered spot to give birth, since she looks like she's about to explode! I keep and breed several species of Nerodia, including these, as pets, and they tame down very quickly if handled gently. You have nothing to worry about from this girl.
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Jean Davis
7 years ago
I also need help. First I found a snake skin but it's too fragile to examine for scales. Next I found a baby snake in a glue trap. I assume they are the same. Tried several websites but can't seem to find anything.
Jean Davis
7 years ago
Will try again to attach the photot
Jean Davis
7 years ago
And another
User
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
The snake you caught is a harmless checkered gartersnake.

You should reconsider the use of glue traps. They are an extremely cruel way to try and control pests as the animals trapped can suffer on the glue trap for days or even weeks as they slowly suffocate or even die of starvation on the trap. Imagine duck taping a small dog to the floor and leaving it there for days while it slowly dies of starvation and exhaustion from struggling.
Sharon McKenzie
7 years ago
I concur with fhfchrish....ditch the glue traps! Those things are extremely barbaric and result in very slow, drawn-out suffering of captured animals, especially reptiles, which take a long time to die, but which also have very advanced sensory nervous systems, meaning that they feel pain very acutely. If you wouldn't do this to a puppy or kitten, it's just as wrong to inflict this torture on a reptile. IF you accidentally capture a snake or lizard on a glue trap, you can spray PAM cooking spray on it or pour cooking oil on it to dissolve the glue and gradually let the animal work itself loose, but often by the time they are discovered they have seriously injured themselves trying to escape.

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