Pythons, Cobras, and Rat Snakes
- Thread starter NCBeagle
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I used a translation app.
Their body looks a lot like a skinny Cottonmouth. If you're near the water and run into one they can give you a scare!
My last house had black rat snakes all over the place, and they were usually about 3 to 5 feet long. When spring came the beautiful Painted Bunting birds would build a nest in the hanging light fixture on our patio and we would watch them through the large back windows. Those Rat Snakes could climb straight up the 10 foot brick wall of the back of our house and across the back porch ceiling and eat the baby birds! I couldn't believe they could climb so well and usually spared their lives but when they ate our duck eggs right before they hatched my wife got really mad and had me shoot them with my RWS M34 .22 pellet rifle.
chuckie
Member
I'm used to them now. Yesterday, on the greenway. Look up while you walk, they drop down from the trees. Don't stick your hands in any bushes and you'll be fine.
I'm not afraid of snakes, but if one of them dropped out of a tree onto me I would definitely be changing my underware!!!
Of course here in Florida we have a lot of snakes. The Black Racers and rat snakes are always welcome around my place. They are great about keeping the rodents down and even help to keep the venomous away some. Growing up the old timers called Yellow Rat snakes Chicken snakes. They do like eggs but don't eat that many. Baby chicks might need to keep a distance though. My wife was not real happy about the Yellow rat snake hanging out by the front door.
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OP
Nice work on the rescue.
She is a keeper.
That don't look like the Charlotte NC I drive trough
No kidding. The barn is in Waxhaw, NC...about 20 minutes from our house in south Charlotte. The barn has been swallowed by development. Surrounded by million dollar homes. I think that the landowner has some sort of conservation arrangement preventing development.
That said, we have snakes right here in town. Found this chunky black rat snake in front of the house. I live right in south Charlotte, SouthPark/Quail Hollow area. This was almost 3 years ago exactly. Picked it up to teach Olivia about snakes. Hope that he's still hanging around the yard.
EDIT: Another funny thing about this photo. That morning I returned early from the Alligator Wildlife Refuge in far eastern North Carolina. It was one of my annual "get out in the swamp to hike and look for snakes" adventures. I was unable to walk much because of a badly torn meniscus (left knee injury). So, I came home but found this snake right in front of the house.
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OP
That's how my wife learned about snakes. In the mid-90's, I used to breed kings, milks, corns, pine snakes, gopher snakes and a few other types. Lots of different morphs. Still spend a lot of time herping. In fact, driving to SWCA in Glendale to spend time flipping rocks in SW Texas, New Mexico and Arizona.
Look up Richard Pryor's "Snakes make you run into trees".
Cute critter. The snake's good looking too
First look at the pic I thought Indigo with the black ventral scales but the white chin?You seem to know your snakes, stay well.
Only a true herp would understand the feeling of an afternoon flipping rocks. Even being away from the pastime for a few years, I still cannot resist turning over rocks or other good places. Great memories - thanks for reminding me.
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X76KE7LWocI[/ame]
No kidding. The barn is in Waxhaw, NC...about 20 minutes from our house in south Charlotte. The barn has been swallowed by development. Surrounded by million dollar homes. I think that the landowner has some sort of conservation arrangement preventing development.
That said, we have snakes right here in town. Found this chunky black rat snake in front of the house. I live right in south Charlotte, SouthPark/Quail Hollow area. This was almost 3 years ago exactly. Picked it up to teach Olivia about snakes. Hope that he's still hanging around the yard.
EDIT: Another funny thing about this photo. That morning I returned early from the Alligator Wildlife Refuge in far eastern North Carolina. It was one of my annual "get out in the swamp to hike and look for snakes" adventures. I was unable to walk much because of a badly torn meniscus (left knee injury). So, I came home but found this snake right in front of the house.
My neighborhood was Moore's Park by Little Rock Road and Wilkerson across from the airport. My homesite is now under the big asphalt Hertz parking lot there. We had several lakes in the neighborhood, all filled with moccasins. We still swam in them.
OP
Cute critter. The snake's good looking too
You seem to know your snakes, stay well.
I really like indigos. Only found one in the wild. It was in Bon Secour Wildlife Refuge in southern Alabama, 1999. I'll probably never find another. I very briefly had a pair of black tailed cribos, same genus as the indigo, but from South America. They were great in captivity but difficult to breed.
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