Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Does anyone know what kind of snake this is?

nerodia something something.

Where are you located?

Oh sorry I'm in Mississippi...Can you tell if it is poisonous or not by the head shape?

yellow bellied watersnake
harmless but will chew vigorously
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1.0.0 Great Plains Ratsnake
1.0.0 Corn, Lavender Aztec het for Amel
0.1.0 Black Ratsnake
0.0.1 Texas Rat (tame)
1.0.0 Broad Banded Water Snake, Hypo
1.0.0 Black Bassador Retriever
2.1.0 Godchildren, 1 Evil, 2 possible hets

I would venture to say that is a Water Snake, genus Nerodia, but I am not sure about the ssp.

Definitely NOT venomous!!!

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Diego

Thanks

That's a Plain-Bellied Water Snake(Nerodia erythrogaster). they are absolutely harmless to humans.

~Doug

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

That's a harmless Yellow-bellied Watersnake (Nerodia erythrogaster flavigaster). Plain-bellied is the name used for the species as a whole, but the subspecies in Mississippi is the Yellow-bellied.

And no, you can't tell if a snake is dangerous just by looking at its head. It is NOT a good "litmus test" for venomous vs. non-venomous and I doubt anyone here who knows there snales uses that as a differentiating characteristic.

I once heard one of the world's most famous and experienced herpetologists discussing identifying venomous snakes by these sorts of "quick" criteria. He summed it up nicely by saying, "if you are using that sort of critereon to differentiate the venomous from non-venomous, you shouldn't be messing with the snake at all" (he was referring to the "red against yellow" myth/criterion).
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Chris Harrison
San Antonio, Texas

I absolutely agree. Furthermore, many species of non-venomous snakes will flatten their heads so as to mimic the appearance of the venomous species. Of course, having said that, I now have to say that in my dealings with snakes, the characteristics of the animal's head often determines whether or not I attempt to handle it.

I don't mess with snakes period, unless of course they are in my yard It was just a curious question with the asking of the head shape...

"Snakes of the World"? I always notice you know exactly what you're talking about on this forum. Just wonder if you're the same Chris Harrison who wrote the book I always used to check out of the library when I was a kid.

>>"Snakes of the World"? I always notice you know exactly what you're talking about on this forum. Just wonder if you're the same Chris Harrison who wrote the book I always used to check out of the library when I was a kid.
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Chris Harrison
San Antonio, Texas