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Corn, Brown Water, or Copperhead
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by MillerJamesD on July 14, 2008
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Would you tell me your expert opinion on what kind of snake is this?
Here is an online picture at:
http://docs.google.com/View?docid=dd8sbcrp_0d74ptkdw&hl=en
I think maybe a corn snake or brown water snake? I really don't think it is a poisonous Copperhead...
Location is Charleston, South Carolina, USA.
Any help would be appreciated!
Thanks,
Jim
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RE: Corn, Brown Water, or Copperhead
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by Buzztail1 on July 14, 2008
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Definitely an Eastern (Chain) Kingsnake - Lampropeltis getula getula.
Completely harmless to humans.
Has been known to eat venomous snakes as well as rodents.
Very nice to have around.
Congratulations.
R/
Karl
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RE: Corn, Brown Water, or Copperhead
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by MillerJamesD on July 15, 2008
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BuzzTail1,
I'm in Mount Pleasant, SC not far off the Wando River. I was pretty sure it was non venomous, and some others told me he was a King. So thanks to all here for helping ID him.
The King lives in my fenced-in (solid wood walls) back yard, often under our back porch deck, and either enters/exits via under fence paths or over via small trees. With my dog, 3 year old daughter, and 7 year old son also playing in the backyard, I'm afraid they might step on him or chase him, etc, and he bite in self defense. I don't want to harm the snake, esp a King.
Should I perhaps have him relocated by SCDNR wildlife management? Or do kings not really bite, just strangle then eat?
Thanks,
Jim
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RE: Corn, Brown Water, or Copperhead
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by Cro on July 15, 2008
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Jim, a kingsnake will sometimes bite in self defense, if it is picked up and feels threatened.
Even it it did bite, the bite is very minor. The small teeth would break the skin and cause some pin-prick holes and minor bleeding, and this would be treated by washing the wound with soap and water then using an antiseptic. You can get a much worse wound from the thorns when trying to pick blackberrys.
That kingsnake is in your yard because it has found food there, and a good hiding place where it feels safe. It is probably eating mostly field mice, voles, shrews, and the occasional chipmunk. It will also eat other snakes like venomous copperheads that come into your yard. For this reason alone, it is worth leaving.
If you remove the kingsnake, you will open up the habitat for another snake to move in. That other snake might be something that is truely dangerous for your kids to be around, like a copperhead.
Just teach your kids not to mess with the kingsnake, and feel fortunate that it has chosen your yard to live in.
Best Regards John Z
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RE: Corn, Brown Water, or Copperhead
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by pitbulllady on July 15, 2008
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Some Kings will bite in self-defense, but as others have stated, a bite is very minor. I've encountered many, many Eastern Kings that I don't think could be made to bite a person. I've rescued Kings that someone had tried to kill with a weed-eater, or had deliberately set on fire, and these snakes would tolerate wound dressings and antibiotic injections(intramuscular injections of Amakacin, which HURT, and I speak from experience), and other treatments without attempting to bite. You will hardly find a dog that is more gentle and will put up with that sort of thing without snapping. I have found many Kings, in the wild, that would just allow you to walk over and pick them up, without the slightest hint of defensive behavior, as if they were used to that sort of thing, and it just does not occur to them that a human being can be a threat. I would feel quite secure knowing that there's a big Eastern King on my property, insofar as being bitten by a snake goes. This is just a really good animal to have around.
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RE: Corn, Brown Water, or Copperhead
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by yoyoing on July 15, 2008
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I think it is an Appolachicola Kingsnake. Given your locale, they must be moving north due to global warming. Perhaps someone needs to make a map showing how southern species are going to be extending their ranges out of Florida.
(Get it?)
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RE: Corn, Brown Water, or Copperhead
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by pitbulllady on July 15, 2008
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It's not an Appalachicola King. Eastern Kings in the SC Lowcountry often look like this, with really wide bands, and often have some white or yellow speckling within the black areas. Some people call these "Mosaic" Kings, and they are very common on the SC coastal islands. It's not due to "global warming", either, and I have absolutely no worries that SC is going to be overrun with killer Burmese Pythons on their way to take over New Jersey.
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