Reptile & Amphibian Forums

No, i'm not going to keep it. all i did was take some pictures and let it go

it was very rainy last night and the toads were a-singing. i spotted a snake in a small puddle that had obviously just eaten. i don't know what it is.

it is small, maybe a little more then a foot long. it was black, thin, and had faint yellow stripey splotches. the face seemed to have two thick, faint yellow lines on the edges. the head was slightly trangular and it seems that the belly was a splotchy checkerboard.

i live on the marshland with man build fresh water ponds. we have a ton of copperheads and cottonmouths. we also have eastern king snakes, hog noses and corn snakes. any idea what this is?

here are a few picture links:
http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk46/stickyturtle27/mysterysnake006.jpg

http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk46/stickyturtle27/mysterysnake007.jpg

PS- i feel really guilty that i scared the snake enough that it had to regurgitate its meal. however, the toad was still alive so i guess that is ok. the snake was in my house for only 10 minues before i released it to where i had found it.

That's a harmless Water Snake(Nerodia), but it's sort of hard to tell from the photo's exactly what subspecies it is.

What part of what state(county) was it found in?,...this will help identify it exactly to the subspecific level.

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

I agree with Doug. Looks like some sort of N. fasciata at a glance.

oh shoot. sorry! thought i said where i lived.

i live on St. Helena Island in South Carolina.

i didn't think it was venomous. a water snake, hm? very cool

can any one tell me what kind exactly?

These Water Snakes are extremely variable in their looks, but that one would be a somewhat dark Banded Water Snake(Nerodia fasciata fasciata).

Here is a pic of a young N.f.fasciata.

best regards, ~Doug

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

99% of the time someone comes across a "cottonmouth", it is really one of those nerodia. Water snakes vary so much but if you post it in the water snake forum I'm sure someone could give you an exact ID based on the pica and your location.

Looks like a juvenile Nerodia fasciata pictiventris to me.
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http://hem.passagen.se/philodryas