Hi,
This little guy was at the back door of my greenhouse this morning. I hurled him out in the woods and hope he doesn't get bigger and come back. The closest pics I can find look like a Massasauga rattlesnake but they aren't supposed to be here in Okmulgee County, Oklahoma. Does anyone know what it is?
Thanks!
could it be this one? It says that they often cross and have spots and bands as a result of that. The head looks similar.
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3113/2913108831_dc30933366.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.flickriver.com/places/United%2BStates/Ohio/Raab%2BCorners/&h=400&w=500&sz=239&tbnid=o8Q4b47fDW4ZGM:&tbnh=104&tbnw=130&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dmidland%2Bbrown%2Bsnake&zoom=1&q=midland+brown+snake&hl=en&usg=__cpY1auVeqkgKKGHbV0mXoCnsC1E=&sa=X&ei=cp2wTPbvPMGclgf-sYS4BA&ved=0CBgQ9QEwAQ
I don't know what type of snake it is, but I wanted to caution you not to be deceived by size. In venomous varieties, even the smallest and youngest newborns have enough venom to wreak havoc and even kill. In fact, juveniles may be more dangerous than older (and typically larger) snakes.
Juveniles often haven't yet learned to control their venom and may thus inject it all in a single bite. Mature snakes learn to make more judicious use of their venom and may bluff an opponent by delivering a bite with a small quantity of venom or even a dry bite, one which contains no venom at all.
That is very true...
Hey, I appreciate the warning. We actually were pretty careful since we could see by the size and shape of the head it was probably venomous.
Melva, I don't think it's the one you posted though I appreciate it. It just didn't look as close as the rattlesnakes. Since I posted I've looked at more pictures and now am thinking it was a diamondback but I'm wondering if diamondbacks ever mate and cross with the Massaugua and if it could be some kind of cross.....
Another thing to keep in mind is that juvenile snakes very often have entirely different patterns from adults of the same type. I don't know if that one is small enough to actually be a juvenile, but it's something to bare in mind when looking for a match. Some web sites show juvenile as well as adult patterns. Juveniles can be very difficult to ID though, because they may go through several different pattern variations from birth to adulthood.
I don't know much about snakes, but that looks to me like a young diamond back rattlesnake. If there are mice or anything of that type around your wood pile, he'll probably be back because he has found food and shelter in your woodpile and may well be planning to hibernate there for the winter. This is just from my observations of snakes in my area, but I'm not too awful far from you.
