This snake.....good or bad????????????

Found this sneaky devil crawling around my yard. Is this a venemous snake or not? It made sort of a hissing sound when we chased it, but it was definitely not a rattler.

Here's another pic:

whoa!! he big!!!!

What pretty scales. Kind of looks like the pebbles on a creek bottom.

Definitely not a garter or a boa, and those are the only snakes I've been really close to.

I'm thinking a harmless racer, but I want to know for sure so we don't kill a good guy. Well, good for the scorpions and such, bad for the birds and frogs.

Here's a link to a site on venomous snakes of Texas. I didn't see your snake pictured.

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/learning/junior_naturalists/safesnake.phtml

I think it's a Buttermilk Racer (non-venomous): http://www.kingsnake.com/louisiana/species_buttermilk_racer.htm

This one looks close: Western Coachwhip.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Masticophis_flagellum.jpg




This message was edited Sep 3, 2006 11:31 PM

This message was edited Sep 3, 2006 11:32 PM

WH, please repost, your link was not complete. Thanks.

Well, now I can't find that link again. But here's another.

http://www.herpo.com/trans-pecos/snakes/mflagel.html

Don't know what happened, but looking at other pictures of the coachwhip, I don't think that's the snake in question. It's a nice snake, though. Eats rats.

I went back to edit my first message, and the entire link was there. I don't know why it's not translating. Here it is again, but I don't know if it'll work this time, either. It was a Wikipedia link.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Masticophis_flagellum.jpg

Beautiful Coluber constrictor anthicus in a light color phase. They don't eat birds even though they are often found in trees. They do eat rodents, large insects, other snakes, as well as frogs.

A constrictor? Like a boa? I didn't know we had any constrictors in N. America.

Edited to add link.

http://www.zo.utexas.edu/research/txherps/snakes/coluber.constrictor.html


This message was edited Sep 4, 2006 12:53 AM

No, definitely not a constrictor. Long story on how that ended up in the name.

Yup, definitely a Buttermilk Racer: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coluber_constrictor_anthicus

Lucky you, it's a very beautiful snake. I like that the Coluber constrictor anthicus eats rodents, that's a plus in my book.

Have you had a chance to locate any photos of a dark phase of the same species?

I think the light phase such as what you have is considerably more attractive.

Yes, found some dark pics online, don't know where though.

It eats critters? Send some here. I could coil it around my containers as a surprise for whatever's digging in them.

Sure, send me your mailing address. LOL!

It's the 2nd one in 2 years we've seen, I'm sure there are lots more in these woods.

Ain't no pretty snake! As useful as they may be they give me the creeps.

Ann

Last year we injured one then figured out it was good, so I rushed it about 20 miles away to a vet who likes snakes, he ended up euthanizing the snake.

My mom thought I was completely nuts. I guess I was, but I just can't bear to see an animal suffer.