Gosh, I wish there were a better detailed pic that was closer up. I enlarged the photo as best I could on a photo program, but the pixelated very low-res photo quality won't allow much at all. It does "vaguely" resemble Atheris squamiger from a glance, but the large supralabia scales on the upper lip and the top of the head don't jive much for "Atheris squamiger" and suggest it is a very thin and dehydrated Nerodia of some kind though. It resembles a Salt Marsh Mangrove Water Snake (Nerodia clarkii compressicauda)because of the patternless color, but that sure doesn't belong there either..LOL!



It could be a very dried up and muddy, or maybe a more patternless Brown Water Snake(Neroidia taxispilota) though as the other poster suggested. The mud would explain the white looking eye it has too. That's about all I can say. My vote is for Brown Water Snake(Nerodia taxispilota) as well, and Richmond Virginia does fall right within their range..





~Doug

-----
"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"





serpentinespecialties.webs.com

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