Snake experts! Please identify "Slither" ?

[PALADIN85020]

We found this little critter crawling across our front porch the afternoon of March 3. I took a couple of photos.

Here is a portrait of "Slither."

Fortunately, Slither slithered onto a handy measuring device - these paver bricks, each of which measures 8 inches in length.

I'm no snake expert, so I hope one or more of you can identify our unexpected visitor!

John

 

[JJEH]

Desert King?

I'm no expert either though...

This link might help. I do watch their youtube every now and then...

Commonly seen snakes of Arizona: Phoenix, Scottsdale and surrounding areas - Rattlesnake Solutions LLC

 

[arjay]

Looks like a bull snake,good mousers!

 

[Onomea]

“Little critter?!”

Nice pix, too, John, as always.

 

[BAM-BAM]

A "Soon to be dead" snake


Kidding.......................

 

[Kurusu]

We found this little critter crawling across our front porch the afternoon of March 3. I took a couple of photos.

Here is a portrait of "Slither."

Fortunately, Slither slithered onto a handy measuring device - these paver bricks, each of which measures 8 inches in length.

I'm no snake expert, so I hope one or more of you can identify our unexpected visitor!

John

Could be a gophersnake or a glossy. Anyways by the general looks, only rodents and lizzards have to worry about it.

 

[PALADIN85020]

Desert King?

I'm no expert either though...

This link might help. I do watch their youtube every now and then...

Commonly seen snakes of Arizona: Phoenix, Scottsdale and surrounding areas - Rattlesnake Solutions LLC

Thanks - from appearances, Slither appears to most resemble the Sonoran Gopher Snake. Same face and tail, for sure. The text with the picture says they can grow to as long as 5 feet.

John

 

[Hillbilly77]

Yep.

Definitely a snake.

 

[wood714]

In my area, if it aint a rattler, water moccasin, or coral snake... I call them yard snakes.

Too many down here to identify.

I'll go out of my way to leave the yard snakes alone. I'd much rather have a harmless snake around my house, than a bunch of mice or rats inside it.

 

[Rudi]

I looked at the pics and didn't wet myself. Must be a good day.

 

[LVSteve]

Yep, Sonoran Gopher Snake. Here's a couple of shots of one I took at Montezuma's Castle in 2007.

 

[steelslaver]

Looks like a Sonora gopher snake is a close relative of the bull snake. Serious rodent, bird, egg, bug and lizard eaters. Usually they will hiss and strike abit until they figure out your not going to harm them then they just ignore you. I drug a few home when I was a kid, my mother wasn't a fan. Had a big one, I grabbed, bite me on the finger once with no ill effects although I have heard bites can cause an infection.

 

[Ole Joe Clark]

Similar to the rat snake in the Southeast, no arrowhead shape to the head. I have enough ground squirrels to feed one for several months.

Have a blessed day,

Leon

 

[italiansport]

Why is there no bullet hole in Slither's head?

You had plenty of time to take photos, so you had more than enough time to draw and open fire.

By all rights, Slither should be dead.

Please explain why! These snakes are harmless to humans and beneficial because they consume a lot of mice,rats and other varmints.
Jim

 

[Kurusu]

Why is there no bullet hole in Slither's head?

You had plenty of time to take photos, so you had more than enough time to draw and open fire.

By all rights, Slither should be dead.

Because. It's much better to have Mr. Slither visiting in your backyard than rats.

 

[LVSteve]

Because. It's much better to have Mr. Slither visiting in your backyard than rats.

Gopher snakes are quite territorial. Better to have Slither than Mr Rattler.

 

[wood714]

Please explain why! These snakes are harmless to humans and beneficial because they consume a lot of mice,rats and other varmints.
Jim

Because. It's much better to have Mr. Slither visiting in your backyard than rats.

Too many people with the idea the only good snake is a dead snake.

Since moving here in 2001, I've killed around a half dozen water moccasins in my yard when my house was first built. Only saw 2 rattle snakes, one was crossing the road, I stopped to let it cross, and the other was in the dunes at the beach. I was on a board walk and it posed for a couple great pictures, then went on it's way.

 

[Kurusu]

Gopher snakes are quite territorial. Better to have Slither than Mr Rattler.

Well, that is true. But here we don't have rattlers. Rats we have. And our own versions of gopher snakes.