Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey all. I have been finding a lot of snakes here lately and the neighbors cats were having some fun with this guy last night. I have him healing in a cage here in teh house but was looking for some help with the ID. I believe it to be a western earth snake (virginia valeriae elegans). There are some pockets of them around here but this would be the western edge of their range here in Texas. I live in Kerrville. The other possibility would be the rough earth snake (virginia striatula) but I dont notice any keeled scales. This could be from it being a juvi. I suppose. I'll also post a pic of the rough green snake I about ran over leaving for lunch the other day. I released him that night and he went straight to the top of the nearest tree. I didn't realize they were so aboreal but he went all the way to the canopy of a 15-20' tree. Anyway thanks for the help in advance.

Oldfriend

That could be a Smooth Earthsnake, but I couldn't rule out Rough Earthsnake either based on that photo. The pattern is more like a Rough Earthsnake but the head is a little blunt. Tough call.

If you put a gun to my head (please don't) I would call that a Rough Earthsnake just based on its overall pattern.

You really need a shot of the face showing the labial scales to be sure.
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Chris Harrison
San Antonio, Texas

Thanks for the reply. Tonight when I get home from work I will get a loupe and try to check the labial scales. I'm not the best photographer in the world and am not even going to try to get a good close up of a small snakes black head. lol I'll post again and let you all know what I find.

Do you ever do any field herping in SA? I'd love to find some friends in the area to team up with. Let me know.

Thanks Again,
Oldfriend

...i can see the keels in your pic,not when you look at the lateral scales directly,but more the middorsals as a whole-you can see that pinstriped effect..also has those typical double middorsal rows of black dots.
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"with head raised regally,and gazing at me with lidless eyes,he seemed to question with flicks of his long forked tongue my right to trespass on his territory" Carl Kauffeld

ive caught hundreds of rough earths and they've never had the rows of spots. they are rarely ever that thick as well. the one western earth ive caught, in comal co, had the spots.