Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i was mowing my lawn with the tractor today and almost done came across a snake but he slithered away too fast for me to catch and I couldnt find him in the garden where he scurried off to. It was about 24 inches or so long, slender, and looked to be black with one or two gold stripes running along down its back. I am located in south eastern pa outside of philadelphia. What do you guys think this could be? Would love to catch snakes around here just for fun, not to keep. Have enough of them already, so my mom says.

Thanks everybody,

Alex

its hard to tell without a picture, but im guessing its a garter snake, im not sure of the exact kind though

Hey Alex,
I am also in PA right outside of Philly in Chester County. There are a few snakes that it could have been that are in the area.

If you are anywhere near water if it's a creek,pond or any other type of water way my 1st guess would be eastern garter snake. In this area they tend to be very dark in color on the body but lighter on the head.Most of them I seen in the area are almost black with faint yellow markings.

My 2nd guess would be a young northern black racer especially if it was pitch black but the gold color doesn't match up since they are ALL black except for a few white spots under the chin. I have seen plenty of these guys hanging around in my lawn and I have almost ran a few over with my lawn mower. If it moved as fast as you say it did being unable to catch it...it could have very well been a racer.

And finally it could have been a young black rat snake but they aren't all that common in the area like Racers and Garters.
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Reptiles
0.1 - Early 2002 Anery Motley Corn 33 1/2"
1.0 - Late 2003 Yellow Rat Snake 15 2/3"
0.0.1 - 2003 Banded California King Snake 29 2/3"
1.0 Green Anole
0.0.0 House Gecko
0.1 Painted Turtle

Mammals
4 female ferrets,1 male cat and 1 male doberman...and a few kids!

RIP - Nala my Rottie 08/19/2004

If you've got black rats in the area with 1-2 gold stripes, send em my way hehe

Sounds like ribbon or garter, depending on the girth.

Hey Sullman,

Thanks for the reply and everybody else. I'm also in Chester County in West Chester. I dont think it was a garter cause im really that close to water (atleast a football field away from nearest woods and creek). It seemed to be all black but with gold on it. I have bad memory when looking at something really quickly so I didnt get a good look at it and give a more detailed description. What other kinds of snakes are found in Chester County around my area if you know and there temperments. Would love to handle some of these guys.

Thanks again guys,

Alex

Gartersnakes wander quite a distance from water, particularly in the early autumn up north as they head back towards hibernacula. This is undoubtedly what you saw.
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Chris Harrison

Chris is correct...as long as the snake had the longitudinal yellow or gold stripe or stripes that were described.

~~Greg~~

Alex,
The most common snakes in Chester County are Eastern Garter Snakes,Dekay's and Northern Black Racers. You MIGHT get lucky and see a black rat snake but they are very few of them in the area.

Garter snakes will musk,bite and thrash when handled. They are a generally small snake only getting to around 2-3 feet in length with 3 feet being a big one. The older ones are generally dark on color in this area and are usually almost black/grey with yellow markings which is why almost everyone on here thinks you seen a garter snake. They feed on earthworms,slugs,toads,frogs,salamaders and small fish.

Dekay's otherwise known as the brown snake are small snakes with the average size being 8-12 inches.These are docile snakes and will never attempt to bite.They eat small worms,slugs and snails.

The northern black racer is an extremely aggressive snake and can get up to 5 feet in length. These guys are one of the fastest snakes in the world which is why they are called racers. This is the most aggressive snake in our area and if you encounter one they will bite the hell outta you! They will also latch on to you and chew. These guys can give some nasty bites! They are all black with a white chin and eat just about anything they can fit into their mouth!
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Reptiles
0.1 - Early 2002 Anery Motley Corn 33 1/2"
1.0 - Late 2003 Yellow Rat Snake 15 2/3"
0.0.1 - 2003 Banded California King Snake 29 2/3"
1.0 Green Anole
0.0.0 House Gecko
0.1 Painted Turtle

Mammals
4 female ferrets,1 male cat and 1 male doberman...and a few kids!

RIP - Nala my Rottie 08/19/2004

These guys dont always hang around water. You will find them hanging around creeks and ponds, because they eat the frogs, minnows and insects there. But they also eat toad frogs and lizards and are a very hardy snake. You can find these guys out in fields along woodlines no where near water! They are a very adaptable snake, that is why they do so well in urban environments. If it was a black snake with gold/yellowish stripes, I bet it was a garter.

>>Hey Sullman,
>>
>>Thanks for the reply and everybody else. I'm also in Chester County in West Chester. I dont think it was a garter cause im really that close to water (atleast a football field away from nearest woods and creek). It seemed to be all black but with gold on it. I have bad memory when looking at something really quickly so I didnt get a good look at it and give a more detailed description. What other kinds of snakes are found in Chester County around my area if you know and there temperments. Would love to handle some of these guys.
>>
>>Thanks again guys,
>>
>>Alex
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1.0 Corn snake "Warpath" (KY locale)
1.0 Black rat snake "Havok" (KY locale)
1.1 Black rat snakes "Punisher and Mystique" (MO locale)
1.0 Eastern Yellow Belly racer "Nightcrawler" (MO locale)
1.0 Albino Black rat snake "Malakai" (Dwight Good stock)
1.0 Everglades rat snake "Deadpool" (Dwight Good stock)
0.1 Greenish rat snake "Rogue" (Dwight Good stock)
1.1 California king snake "Bandit and Moonstar" (Coastal phase)
1.0 Prairie king snake "Bishop" (KY locale)
0.1 Black king snake "Domino" (KY locale)
0.0.1 Eastern Milk snake "Cable" (KY locale)
0.0.1 Eastern/Red milk intergrade "Omega Red" (KY locale)

Good luck and Happy Herping
Brian

This is a garter snake from here in KY. Look pretty much the same.

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1.0 Corn snake "Warpath" (KY locale)
1.0 Black rat snake "Havok" (KY locale)
1.1 Black rat snakes "Punisher and Mystique" (MO locale)
1.0 Eastern Yellow Belly racer "Nightcrawler" (MO locale)
1.0 Albino Black rat snake "Malakai" (Dwight Good stock)
1.0 Everglades rat snake "Deadpool" (Dwight Good stock)
0.1 Greenish rat snake "Rogue" (Dwight Good stock)
1.1 California king snake "Bandit and Moonstar" (Coastal phase)
1.0 Prairie king snake "Bishop" (KY locale)
0.1 Black king snake "Domino" (KY locale)
0.0.1 Eastern Milk snake "Cable" (KY locale)
0.0.1 Eastern/Red milk intergrade "Omega Red" (KY locale)

Good luck and Happy Herping
Brian

it looked somewhat to this one but it seemed more black and really dark. Im guessing it was most likely a garter snake.

thanks guys,

alex

The one I posted was a youn juvenile, so the colors are going to be more vibrant. On adults they darken with age quite a bit.
Brian

>>it looked somewhat to this one but it seemed more black and really dark. Im guessing it was most likely a garter snake.
>>
>>thanks guys,
>>
>>alex
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1.0 Corn snake "Warpath" (KY locale)
1.0 Black rat snake "Havok" (KY locale)
1.1 Black rat snakes "Punisher and Mystique" (MO locale)
1.0 Eastern Yellow Belly racer "Nightcrawler" (MO locale)
1.0 Albino Black rat snake "Malakai" (Dwight Good stock)
1.0 Everglades rat snake "Deadpool" (Dwight Good stock)
0.1 Greenish rat snake "Rogue" (Dwight Good stock)
1.1 California king snake "Bandit and Moonstar" (Coastal phase)
1.0 Prairie king snake "Bishop" (KY locale)
0.1 Black king snake "Domino" (KY locale)
0.0.1 Eastern Milk snake "Cable" (KY locale)
0.0.1 Eastern/Red milk intergrade "Omega Red" (KY locale)

Good luck and Happy Herping
Brian