Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was outside herping for alligator lizards and salamanders and when I flipped my last rock of the day I found a little snake about 2-3 inches long. Its just a baby. I was thinking about how it looked like a copper head, but I put it in a bucket anyways. He is solid brown right now, but his body is shaped different from the ringneck snake I also found. He has a small head and then as you go down his body it gets bigger and then smaller right near the tail. I live in alabama if that helps any. Please let me know what it is because i'm afraid to handle it even though it was mellow yesterday.

Well, in addition to conspicuous markings, the young of any venomous species within your range wouldn't be that small, so I'd say you would be safe handling it (there's one way to find out!-just kidding). My guess is that you have a smaller species of colubrid on your hands, possibly an earth snake or a flathead snake.

Yeah I guess we'll see. My science teacher said something about a young pine snake or northern pine snake. Something like that. My Field guide dosen't tell (its from 1987). Don't worry i'm getting a new one.

I agree that what you found is probably an earth or brown snake. None of the range maps I have show Gerrhonotus anywhere near Alabama. You really have them there?

~~Greg~~

Oh my bad.Its an eastern fence lizard. We were looking at the wrong name.

That's a relief! Imagine the work a bunch of serious herpetologists would have to do to extend the lizard's range by several hundred miles.

Cheers ~~Greg~~
Venomous Snakes of the American Southeast

LOL!! I'm sorry.This little field guide isn't much help. Its old the names are somewhere else in the book, and it dosen't tell a whole lot about the herp.
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irtBikeBoy50@aol.com">DirtBikeBoy50@aol.com

You might want to pick up a decent field guide...there are several. Conant & Gloyd's may be the best.

~~Greg~~

>>You might want to pick up a decent field guide...there are several. Conant & Gloyd's may be the best.
>>
>> ~~Greg~~

Yeah I will when I get money. Right now my sav eats a hole in my wallet.
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irtBikeBoy50@aol.com" target="_blank">DirtBikeBoy50@aol.comMy pets: Savanna Monitor, 2 pictus geckos,hamster,cat,and 6 goldfish.

Definatley not Pitouphis, they don't hatch out that small. Young copperheads and cottonmouths ( also bigger) have bright "lure" like tails. You either got an earth snake or worm snake, would be my guess...
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Drew Z.
Member, NJHS

I wouldn't rule out Brown (dekays) snakes. I seem to get a lot of people asking me about this "baby copperhead" they caught and more often than not it is just a small brown. But you are def. right. No pine snake hatches out at 2-3 inches. Andy
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Andy Maddox
The Reptizone

Who are you who can say it's ok to live through me? Alice In Chains

either an earth snake or brown snake (DeKay's snake). Those are pretty small, yet a little chunkier than ringneck snakes. Of course, pics are always the best bet for indentification...
Snakes of Eddy County, NM