CLOSED: what's this snake sitting in my sago palm?

He's sorta greyish with orange behind his head and black spots.

Here are a few more shots. The last two are after DH mashed him with the shovel. I want to know if this snake was a friend or a foe?

I am afraid that I would have been right there with DH and the shovel, no matter friend of foe! I HATE SNAKES! LOL

It looks to me like the Pigmy Rattlesnake Sistrurus miliarius: http://images.google.com.au/imgres?imgurl=http://www.jdmpics.com/animals/carolina-pygmy-rattlesnake-1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.jdmpics.com/carolina-pygmy-rattlesnake-1.htm&h=250&w=408&sz=54&hl=en&start=19&sig2=Q0Q5vFzGjWv7dmkNiPljZw&um=1&tbnid=-YwgHB5jXFWapM:&tbnh=77&tbnw=125&ei=b8bJR_jIEanopgT66swZ&prev=/images%3Fq%3D%2522Sistrurus%2Bmiliarius%2522%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26channel%3Ds%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26sa%3DN

Kennedy

I don't know, but I thought it looked like an Eastern Hog-nosed snake - one site says they're often mistaken for the pygmy rattlesnakes. The color is extremely variable, too.


http://fwie.fw.vt.edu/VHS/eastern%20hognose%20snake%20red%20color%20phase.jpg

I don't know much about snakes, but the first picture of the Rattle snake shows clearly that the head was much bigger than its slender 'neck' Where as the EHN snake is more in line with the shape of the Snake in your Sago Palm?

Did he have a rattle on his other end???

Eeeeeeew!

No rattle. I don't think it's either one. Still trying to ID

Here's another pic to compare. Look at the pattern on the head:


http://www.bugsinthenews.com/Texas%20Snake%20Web/Eastern%20Hog-Nosed%20Snake%20031507%20R%20Holley.htm

GG, If you don't get a positive id I found this site for you. He accepts emailed photos and email you back with the Name. http://www.texassnakes.net/pictures.html
GG3

GG3,
I tried to upload pics to his email, but looks like his site doesn't exist anymore.

I'm having trouble going to the links ya'll are posting. My browser won't "go!" Shucks! Thanks so much for helping me with this Id. This is the second one the DH has killed in that same Sago!

Here are some more views of the snake.

This message was edited Mar 1, 2008 7:44 PM

Claypa,
You were correct. It was an Eastern Hognose Snake, totally harmless. Next time, I won't tell my DH anything. I am truly saddened, because I decided long ago to live in harmony with God's creatures, to the extent that I can remain safe...this is a true tragedy...

There was a time I might have gone screaming through the yard. Well, maybe just one yell, til I composed myself. My mother was an arachnaphobe, and I developed a healthy respect for the things people truly fear. I also had to develop a courage about dealing with "creatures", because my mother would go into a complete fetal state. Once she visited me here in October, and traveled home Halloween night. YOU try going through Hobby Airport on Halloween Night and not running into a cobweb with a spider. I tried to run interference and scout out every corridor we had to go down. And, we made it all the way to the check-in counter. I thought we were safely there, and I turned for one split second. When I looked back, my mom was curled up in a corner, whimpering. She had managed to see the one display I didn't catch -- the cobweb and the spider...

Anyway, I didn't grow up with the luxury of being a "girlie" girl. I had to toughen up and handle the creatures. And, since I have been a DGer, I have gotten extremely comfortable with the animals, and "creatures" I have encountered in the yard. Including the larvae that looks like huge maggots! I have hated maggots all my life. They made me squeamish -- until DG! Last fall, I encountered a HUGE Banana Spider over head in this gigantic web. I studied it for weeks, until one day I came home and DG had pulled the web down...oh well.

Anyway, I'll respect the wildlife. Live and let live....

Amen! Thanks Gymgirl, you've described me in the well written few paragraps. How gardening with DG has completely changed my outlook on all god's creatures large or small, scary looking or not.....because looks can be sometimes deceiving. Let me repeat your sentiment: "I'll respect the wildlife. Live and let live..."
Kim

Next time you find a hognosed snake, can I have it? I always thought they were cool as they are suppossed to roll over and play dead when disturbed. Never saw one in real life.

Texasescimo,
You've got it! (if the DH doesn't GET it first!)

Kim,
Thanks for the compliment!

Linda

Such a shame but they do mimic the pygmy rattlesnake. The inhabit about the same range too. Texasescimo, those are diffacult to feed unless you have a ready supply of small toads. The western hognose while not as colorful is easier to keep, and they can usually be weaned over to baby mice from toads.

I think its a shame to kill a snake. They have their job to do too. Same with spiders.

Helen

I would not really havae the time to take care of one myself, but I have had success in weaning Texas rat-snake off of field mice onto chicks, keets, eggs, and fake eggs. Lol

Eastern Hognoses are really hard to convert to mice, when you cold still keep them in in Ohio I kept a couple of dead toads in the freezer (not the food one) and would put a piece of it in the mouse so it smelled like a toad. Some snakes would never eat anything but toads. Texas ratsnakes will eat almost anything, I am not surprised you could get them to eat chicks, I think they feed on some birds in the wild.

If you want a Hognose snake go with a western, they are really muche easier to keep.

Gymgirl, we have our own longnose, the TX longnose snake. Looks a lot like the eastern longnose. Not supposed to be found in gulf coast area, but maybe it's found its way. TX longnose eats rodents.

I found this in my book A field guide to texas snakes, a wonderful resource. I hate snakes, but armed with this little book, at least I've learned that not all of them are going to jump and eat me alive, and I no longer kill everything that slithers around. Can probably get a copy on Amazon cheap. Highly recommend this book.

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://s190.photobucket.com/albums/z257/americanwildlife/Reptile/W-LAD-texaslongnose2.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.wildlifenorthamerica.com/Reptile/Long-Nosed-Snake/Rhinocheilus/lecontei.html&usg=__YW2aSzvuFL1R4EI78StCtQbDV1g=&h=533&w=600&sz=26&hl=en&start=1&um=1&tbnid=W1umf1IGN9OZ8M:&tbnh=120&tbnw=135&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dtexas%2Blongnose%2Bsnake%26hl%3Den%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:en-us%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1

Voss,
That's a great link. Thanks for posting it! I'm even more convinced now that my friend was the Eastern Hog-nosed.

hog-nose snakes are very interesting. We played with them when I was a kid. Haven't seen one lately. The ones we had would rear up and flatten their head like a cobra. They would hiss very loudly and act threatening. If that did not work they would roll over on their back and "play dead". If you rolled it upright, it would roll over again, trying to stay on it's back until left alone. Great fun.

Oh, to have the courage of a kid....

I used to sit in the 1st seat on the Texas Cyclone roller coaster at Astroworld.

Oh, to have the courage of a kid....