Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have seen this particular kind of snake 3 times in the last few weeks. It is about 4 ft long, gray, and has no markings on its back. I'm located in Wichita Falls, Texas. There are a lot of ponds around the area I work. I'm wondering if these could be bull snakes or water moccasins. I saw two mating and, quite inadvertently, walked within 3 ft of them. I didn't see them, until I was right by them. They both moved away and did not seem keen to attack. Neither had rattles on their tails.
Today, I ran into one out in a field with high grass. It heard the 4 wheeler coming and raised up to see what was going on. It didn't seem agressive, but I wasn't going to get close enough to find out.
Any ideas? I'll try to get pictures, if I run into one, again.

I guess it depends on what you call "gray".

They are not Bullsnakes, since bullsnakes have a bold pattern of brown blotches.

I suspect they are Coachwhips, which are slender gray brown/tan patternless snakes. They are also the most likely to raise their head to investigate something coming near.

Cottonmouths (water moccasins) have a pattern when young but turn dark black as adults. They are very heavy bodied and a four footer would be as big around as a man's wrist. Furthermore, Cottonmouths have never been recorded in Wichita County. That is really just outside of their range.
-----
Chris Harrison
San Antonio, Texas

They could also be Yellow-bellied Racers. They are slender snakes that would be grayish in your area.
-----
Chris Harrison
San Antonio, Texas

That's what they are. Yellow-bellied racers. I found some pics online. Thanks for the help Good to know they're not poisonous.

Like Chris stated,.....the snakes you described are totally harmless!.....without a photo, your description sounds like the two snakes he mentioned,(coachwhip, or racer).... but more likely is the Yellow-bellied racer(Coluber c. mormon) The coachwhips are usually a little more "mottled", and can be slightly "two-toned", but their body shapes are identicle. They are VERY abundant in that area, and typically raise their heads to look for prey, and possible threats.

best regards, ~Doug
-----
"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

This is a Southern Black Racer(Coluber c. priapis) that is very closely related to the Yellow-bellied Racer. I photographed it along side my house in Central Florida just the other day.

Note the typical raised head, as he was VERY aware of my presence!.......and was lucky enough to get a "shot" even from a fair distance away!.....the photo is poor, due to the needed digital zoom which amplified my hand movement!............does this look like the snakes you saw?

~Doug

-----
"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

Yeah. That's it, only it had a yellowish belly.