Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've had some OK success this season in the Tristate area of NJ/PA/NY. I found two beautiful ringneck snakes, as shown in the picture below. The picture clearly doesn't do it justice. Today I was out in the pines, and on the road was a pine. First glance, I thought it was a roadkilled pine, but it was quite alive. We got a few good pictures before it began to move, then as I moved in, it immidiately recoiled, and posed in striking position. It then settled and hissed loudly as I drew near, shaking it's tail in the brush to simulate rattlesnake sound. I've found many pines, all of which have been 5 feet and larger, and pretty passive or just hissed loudly.
I think this young one was the most beautiful wild pine I've seen. The colors at the end of his tail are so fantastic. Is it just me or is this pine exceptional for being a couple years old and wild?
-Sean

Woops, reduced size and quality too much.
-Sean

Great looking snake! The normal phase of the northern pine is just plain beautiful -- no engineering necessary!
-----
Carl

I'm all for experimenting with genetic traits in a species (not inbreeding though...not my thing), but the wild phase of this snake is unrivaled by other pine/bull morphs.
-Sean