King snake ??

c54fun

c54fun

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I went outside tonight and almost stepped on this snakes head. I'm hopping its a king snake but not sure. I'm ok with them but not copper heads. It seemed like it could change colors at one point the front turned the color of the ground. At least thats what it looked like.
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That, my friends, is a Trans Pecos Rat Snake, or Davis Mountain Rat Snake -- Bogertophis subocularis.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans-Pecos_rat_snake

It is a desert-ish species common down that way. It's nocturnal, which eastern rat snakes aren't.

FWIW, they are pretty docile in the wild and you probably can pick it up without getting bit. Pick up a black rat snake here in Va. you will get bit and slimed by their skunk glands.
Trans pecos generally get pretty big.

If you're worried about poisonous snakes down that way, there are three you have to think about--the copperhead (which ain't all that dangerous, but it turns up a lot), Water moccasins (nasty, big fat beer drinking pit viper with a bad bad reputation that likes to hang out near water-including your pool) and the western diamondback. Coral snakes can turn up too, as can small rare rattlesnakes like the Massasauga and pigmy. Those aren't common though and I think, are endangered...

No, I'm not a know-it-all. Had a collection of snakes--including a trans pecos--when I was in high school. Caught it my self in the Dallas area.
 
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The head shape is def a rattle snake, the pattern of the body color(s) closely match others like Bull Snakes and other non venomous, and should be respected. I have handled most all venomous and have at least 200 scars on my hands to prove it.

Not saying all that to be macho or shit like that, just pays to look, observe, etc...

Grimmy
 
ColinFraser said:
What, this little cutie?
View attachment 186695
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How can you not love an animal that Forces Human Situational Awareness!

People in the city are big stupid!

No wonder they're so quick to give up their guns!

You see....I know...that one Hurricane in Texas can lead to a family out stranded taking refuge in the desert....

And when thousands of rattlesnakes come out of hibernation all at once, around that "safe refuge", because...the snakesfound the real safe place way before humans!....

What is a six shooter going to do to save you?

I hope somebody got an AR!

Real world situations you need your guns for.

Hire a nanny/bodyguard for your kids at school....start paying em With the $ I gove you for that AR.

Thank You!

Don't kill snakes!

Sorce
 
Was going to say a corn snake, the rat snake's cousin, but I'm going with @rockm. I have a pet corn and he looks quite similar to the pictures, only a different coloration.
 
cbroad said:
Was going to say a corn snake, the rat snake's cousin, but I'm going with @rockm. I have a pet corn and he looks quite similar to the pictures, only a different coloration.
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Corn snakes come in lots of colors.
The common color is the orange and brown with white and black checkerboard belly scutes.
Corn snakes are rat snakes.
Some rat snakes like the corn snake are docile.
Some like the gray rat snake and the yellow rat snake will bite the shit out of you.
I had a breeding pair of corn snakes. The one I raised from a baby that could only eat day old pinkie mice to the size she could eat half grown rats and young rabbits. 6 feet long.
 
I had to pull out my old corn and rat snake book.

Now I think @c54fun's snake is actually a Corn snake. Trans-Pecos rat snakes should have distinct H shaped dorsal saddles which the OP's pictures lack. They should also have two distinct longitudinal stripes down the neck that doesn't blend into saddles right away. From his pictures, the saddles resemble regular Corn snake's blotch saddles and irregular dorsal lateral blotches.

I am definitely not a herpetologist though, just my first thought was corn snake...
 
My cheap floozies don't like snakes, clean that up before the party!!!!:eek::eek::eek:;):D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

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Looks more to me like a gray rat snake. I don't know the trans pecos but when I look it up the pattern is wrong. Either way it definitely looks like a rat of some type though. The second and last photos give a rough idea on size. Those bricks look fairly long in the second and it looks like it's by a 4x4 post in the last.
 
wsteinhoff said:
Looks more to me like a gray rat snake. I don't know the trans pecos but when I look it up the pattern is wrong. Either way it definitely looks like a rat of some type though. The second and last photos give a rough idea on size. Those bricks look fairly long in the second and it looks like it's by a 4x4 post in the last.
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This step is 5' wide. If you stretched the snake out it would be very close to 5 foot.
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All I know is I love reptiles.
Especially snakes. They are at the top evolutionary rung for reptiles.
I've been keeping,handling them as pets since I was a boy.
I've been bit more times than I care to remember.
Never by venomous snakes though. We have massasauga rattlesnakes here but I leave them alone. Besides most reptiles in Michigan are protected.
I really liked my iguana too though. If you can't guess his name just look to my avatar.
 
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