|
1-7 of 7 messages
|
Page 1 of 1
|
|
Need help identifying snakes
|
Reply
|
|
by binu on April 7, 2009
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
Hi,
I joined this site recently. Nice to see many of the photos of snakes, and people interested in snakes.. I went on a trip to Great Falls Virginia, the place was grassy with many trees. The ground had lots of rocks, fallen trees and dried leaves. I have uploaded four pictures of snakes that i saw there. Can you please identify them for me.
Thanks,
Binu
|
| |
|
RE: Need help identifying snakes
|
Reply
|
|
by Buzztail1 on April 7, 2009
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
Here are the links to his pictures:
http://www.venomousreptiles.org/libraries/showfilepage/6478?offset=95
Northern Brown Snake
http://www.venomousreptiles.org/libraries/showfilepage/6479?offset=96
Northern Brown snake
http://www.venomousreptiles.org/libraries/showfilepage/6480?offset=97
Northern Water Snake
http://www.venomousreptiles.org/libraries/showfilepage/6481?offset=98
Northern Water Snake
Just my opinions on the IDs but they don't seem difficult to me.
R/
Karl
|
| |
|
RE: Need help identifying snakes
|
Reply
|
|
by binu on April 7, 2009
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
Thanks Karl !!
That was fast :)
I was telling my friends the last two pics were looking like a cottonmouth, thanks for telling the correct identification.
Regards,
Binu
|
| |
|
RE: Need help identifying snakes
|
Reply
|
|
by LarryDFishel on April 8, 2009
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
I could say exactly which species, but I think Karl is probably right and certainly the right genus on the water snake (Nerodia). The Brown Snakes (Dekayi?) is a little trickier because there are a couple of genera of very closely related snakes that look about the same to me.
But absolutely both are harmless (unless you're a slug or a fish).
The water snakes of the genus Nerodia are the snakes most commonly mistaken for cottonmouths (and sometimes copperheads). They will even flatten and widen their heads when they feel threatened to increase the confusion.
It's impossible to prove, but I highly suspect that most people (including many keepers of non-venomous snakes) who claim to have encountered cottonmouths have probably never seen one. I think they are most often seeing water snakes. I've hardly ever had anyone that I showed a picture of a water snake to NOT identify it as a cottonmouth.
|
| |
|
RE: Need help identifying snakes
|
Reply
|
|
by Cro on April 8, 2009
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
It is nice to have someone send in sharp photos of snakes for identification.
All too often folks send in a blurry cell phone photo that is almost worthless for identification purposes.
Best Regards
John Z
|
| |
|
RE: Need help identifying snakes
|
Reply
|
|
by FSB on April 9, 2009
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
Karl is right on the money - that's Storeria dekayi (northern brown) and Nerodia sipedon (northern H20).
There are no cottonmouths in that part of Virginia... they are only in the extreme souteastern part of the state (Tidewater, Newport News, Dismal Swamp etc., though they have been reliably reported to come up the James River almost as far as Richmond). Cottonmoths prefer swampy coastal environs and slow moving sluggish waters. They would hate cold, fast-moving mountain streams and lakes.
Laypeople quite understandably confuse them with harmless watersnakes, but once you've seen a few, there's no mistaking them for anything else.
|
| |
|
RE: Need help identifying snakes
|
Reply
|
|
by theemojohnm on April 10, 2009
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
Well, I am a bit late, but everyone so far is absolutely correct. That is a Northern Brown (Storeria dekayi), and a Northern Watersnake (Nerodia s. sipedon)
Take Care,
-John Mendrola.
|
| |
|
Email Subscription
You are not subscribed to this topic.
Subscribe!
My Subscriptions
Subscriptions Help
Check our help page for help using
, or send questions, comments, or suggestions to the
Manager.
|
