House is near west of Fort Worth, Texas. Neighbors have said there are copperheads, water moccasins, and rattlesnakes.

I'm always skeptical of local people's reports of Copperheads and Water Moccasins (Cottonmouths) simply because most people don't really know what those two species look like.

There are 32 species of snake in Tarrant County. There are the Broad-banded Copperhead, the Western Cottonmouth, 2 species of rattlesnake and 28 SPECIES of harmless snakes. The harmless snakes are more common than Copperheads or Cottonmouths. Yet most of your neighbors don't recognize them as being present in your area.

The snake you killed was clearly harmless. It looks like a Diamondback Watersnake, although I couldn't rule out a Yellow-bellied Watersnake without a clearer photo. I can positively rule out Copperhead, Cottonmouth, and either Rattlesnake.
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Chris Harrison
San Antonio, Texas

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