Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I found 3 of these the last two days. I think they are racers but not sure. It thought it could also be a black rat (not likely) or a leucistic garter. The belly is solid color same as the rest of it but its chin is white/gray. I live in NW ohio. sorry the pic isn't great.

here is another, it looks bigger than it is, it was held close to the camera. The flash was on so it kinda ruins the color but it shows the underbelly.

but i dunno. head doesnt look like a racer, but agin, thas just my opinion. im no expert at snakes.

Where in NW Ohio? I live in Toledo. Black rats are near imposible to find around here if thats what it is. Kinda hard to tell from your pics. Racers are very scarce here too except out by Oak openings. Send me an email at thisnthat@buckeye-express.com

here is another good pic. yeah it was in toledo, wildwood. i'm not sure what it is but i have found 3 in two days. too thick to be a garter i think, and the jaw isn't white enough to be a rat snake.

I'd say it has to be a Nerodia (water snake). Thick body, strongly keeled scales. Most likely a melanistic Northern Water snake, N. sipedon sipedon, although the dark belly doesn't fit. The other possibility (interesting if it turns out to be the case) is Copperbelly Water snake, N. erythrogaster neglecta. Isolated populations are documented in W-NW Ohio, but from what I can determine they're not in the immediate Toledo area. You might have found a new relict population of them.

Those are about the only two candidates as far as indigenous Nerodia in that area. In any case, it's not a racer and it's not a Black Rat. If we don't nail it down here, try posting a pic on the Water Snake forum.
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MichaelB

We found it nowhere near water. It was in the middle of a prarie. There hasn't been any rain so the fields were totally dry. This one was found along with 4 other eastern garters at the base of the bush. Mabye a leucistic garter?

It can't be a leucistic as it is not white. In fact from the color/cloudiness of the eyes in at least one photo, it looks like it's in shed.

In spite of the location I am inclined to lean towards a species of water snake, though it could be a melanised garter. It is odd because the color pattern is more like a black rat, but the head looks wrong. Give it a few days and see if it does shed, then re-photograph it.

If you find another example show us that too please as It will establish "norms".

Frank
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"The luxury of not getting involved departed with the last lifeboat Skipper..."

Someone in the Garter forum ID'd it as a melanistic garter. I meant melanistic when i said leucistic, just had a brain fart. I ran some other pics and it was almost identical to the one i have now so i am 99% sure. I guess they are supposed to be pretty common in my area. Actually those pics are of two snakes, one i saw in the wild after catching the first one and the other is the one i took home to ID it. I released him this weekend when i was sure what it was.

Yeah...I can agree with that. Cool snakes. Frank
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"The luxury of not getting involved departed with the last lifeboat Skipper..."

Not to rehash, but that is a melanistic garter.
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Currently have:
0.1 Antherystic Elaphe guttata
1.0 Elaphe vulpina gloydi
1.1 Morelia Spilota Cheyni
0.1 Leucistic Elaphe obsoleta linheimeri

Saving for:
Agkistrodon Contortix mokasen

Yeah my first thought when I saw the head was a melanistic garter. Good size, I want one. hehe

I think the first two pics look like a black racer. The other snake looks like a melanistic garter, as mentioned.
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Chris Harrison