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Last week I was hiking in northern Texas and came apon a strange looking snake. I had the same color pattern as a trans pecos copperhead and seemed heavily built, but lacked the head of a pit viper. The head structure was much like that of a colubrid. The head was also a green to yellow color with two stripes running the length of the snake's body.There was no rattle and it was very agressive. I attempted to catch it, but I did not have a hook and so it got away. It was seen at about 7:12 in the morning 350 yards from any water body and was at about 2100' in elevation.

I identify, keep and remove snakes for a living, so when the identity of a snake baffles me it is quite a rare thing. Therefore I decided to ask fellow experts in the feild, so before I drive my self to insanity trying to ID this thing, I would like to get your opinions.

First of all, by northern TX, I assume you mean the NE part of the state (near the DFW area), not the real northern part of TX (up in the panhandle).

Either way, there are really only 3 snakes with lengthwise stripes in those areas of Texas. Ribbon Snakes and Patchnosed Snakes would be very slender, so I suspect the snake was a Texas Gartersnake (or possibly a Plains Garter if you were in the northernmost regions of the panhandle). They can be quite aggressive and a large TX Gartersnake could be regarded as heavy bodied. Gartersnakes can often appear quite muddy and drab or brightly colored, depending on where they have been and where they are in the shed cycle.
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Chris Harrison

The only problem with that chris is it does not take into account the similat pattern to the copperhead. Location is critical here. From the start I thought Brazos watersnake-but no stripes. The one snake that could be confused for both might be a Prarrie King (possibly abberant) because they occasionally have both a saddle and a stripe pattern.

We need a more exact location.

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

I wondered about that but the information given was very contradictory.....
"it had the same color pattern as a trans pecos copperhead and seemed heavily built, but lacked the head of a pit viper. The head structure was much like that of a colubrid. The head was also a green to yellow color with two stripes running the length of the snake's body."

I've seen a lot of Trans-pecos Copperheads, but never one that had a color pattern of green to yellow with two stripes.

Now that I reread this, it sounds more like a Patchnosed Snake but the description is too ambiguous to really pin it down.

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Chris Harrison

I don't know...Patch nose does not have a pattern anything like a copperhead and they are not "heavy Bodied". That is why I thought PK they have the blotched pattern, are heavy bodied and have dull stripes on many that lay over the pattern. The head color fits too.

This is where location and pics really are needed.

Fun Fun

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

Sorry for the confusion, It was in the north-western part of the pan handle. The color of the bands (horizontal) was the came color and patern of a trans pecos copperhead (rusty orange and grey). The Stripes (vertical) ran the lenght of the snake over the bands. I also forgot that it had rough keeled scales.

Sounds like some type of water snake or garter due to the agressiveness and keeled scales. I'm sure you've seen this link, but it might help you to narrow down your description.
http://www.zo.utexas.edu/research/txherps/snakes/
It has range maps as well.
Lora

Keeled scales? that eliminates the pk and the patchnose. The big question now is about the stripes...what color were they White, yellow..were they bold or a dark indistinct line like one would make with charcoal?

Were the eyes oval or round (in the pupils)?

You keep mentioning the Trans-pecos copperhead. A snake that is often confused with it is the Texas Lyre Snake. Same color rough scaled and pattern similar enough to confuse. (but it lacks stripes.

The only watersnake I can find near the area (actually it is on the east end of the panhandle) is the plain belly and it too does not match the criteria as it lacks both stripes and is the wrong color.

bairds Rats hace the right color and stripes but lack the pattern.

Garters are possible but again...none of them have your descriped pattern and color, but is possible depending on your answers to the above question.
Check out the Lyre snake and see if it is anything near.

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

It was not a Lyre Snake (I've ID those too many times to get it wrong) The stripes were bold and more green than yellow. When startled it got into a classic "S" position (just like a rattle snake). I either had oval or slit pupils, but not round.

Ok...we are talking about a greenish striped snake with copperhead (gray vs brown) pattern...a colubrid head wih slit or oval pupils to the eyes, and not slender. From the North panhandle of Texas.

That is correct?

That matches nothing that is found in that area. The only snake with oval pupils that is not a rattler or copperhead is the lyre.

If it were not for the eyes, your best candidate would be a very aberant garter.

Sounds like you probably ran into somebodies released pet.

This is where pics are so neccessary...

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