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I recently walked onto my back patio and noticed a shiny black snake with yellow marks on its body. The snake was about 8 inches long and sunning in the cracks of my brick chimney approximately 5 1/2 feet off the ground, behind a clematus vine.
I am not a very big fan of snakes however, I recognize their importance and respect them as a neighbor. Never-the-less I also have two small children and would like to know what kind of snake it is.
Curious about the snake, I stepped closer to determine if it may be poisonous. His head did not suggest a viper, but the size of the snake made me reluctant to rely on that alone. Also, when I lightly touched the snakes body it began to shake it's tail back and forth. The movement presented no noise and there was no indication of a rattle, but again, the size makes me cautious. I have never heard of a non poisonous snake acting like that and recent construction has caused several ground rattler sightings (supposedly).
I live in southern Mississippi and am located on a wooded area. The closest snake that resembles the one on my porch is a speckled kingsnakes. However the photos I have seen and the descriptions offered suggest that speckles are on every scale. This is not the case. Can anyone suggest what kind of snake this may be, or is there a distict way to clearly confirm that this snake is harmless or hopefully a speckled kingsnake. Thank you for your time.

Although they usually don't climb, the description matches a speckled king. Also, most snakes will shake their tail when frightened. If there are leaves or twigs and stuff nearby, it makes a rattle noise (although I've never had one sound like a rattlesnake).
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I agree. Not every speckled has a perfect speckled pattern. If your snake has smooth not keeled scales then it definitly is not a rattlesnake.

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

I have caught a Kingsnake in the Pas Christian area of Gulf Coast Mississippi which appeared to be an intergrade(cross)between a Speckled King and an Eastern Black King, which is found in much of Alabama. It had some faint yellow banding that was more prominant than the speckling, so it's possible that this is what you saw. It definately sounds like a young Kingsnake in any case. Nearly all North American snakes, both venomous and non-venomous, will vibrate their tails if they feel threatened or alarmed, and the tail tip can make a sound if it vibrates against a surface like leaves or newspaper. Some of my snakes do this apparently "just because", even though they are being handled and behaving calmly otherwise. I guess it's like a person who exhibits a nervous habit like twirling their hair around a finger or something.

Sharon McKenzie