Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi! We just moved to eastern tennessee and my son, being the adventurer that he is...found his first snake not even a week getting settled yet. I am concerned that it could be poisonous...I don't know what kind of snakes they have here since we just moved from California. He found the little guy around some rocks on our property which is hilly and foresty. He is about four or five inches long. Very small...about the size of a small sharp tailed snake. His belly is striped almost like a cennipede or something...white and grey. He has markings on his back. He is a smokey charcoal color and his back has black and grey disigns kind of like checkers. It is hard to explain since I'm not a snake person. He has white stripes on the sides of his head and the back. Does anyone have a clue what this is and if it is dangerous or not? Thanks so much! I don't have my camera so I can't load a pic of it on here right now.
-----
Becki

1 Husband
4 kids
2 Hermans
1 Dog
2 Finches
2 Betta
1 Cat

Your description leads me to believe that the snake is non-venomous, though there's not enough there for me to hazard a guess as to which colubrid it is. If you can get a picture up, I'm sure i.d. will be much easier. You only have two venomous snakes in eastern Tennessee..the timber rattlesnake & the northern copperhead..the former being considerably more of a threat to human life than the latter.

~~Greg~~
Venomous Snakes of Florida

Without a picture it is kinda hard to guess but it sounds like it may be a young black rat snake. Many snakes tend to look different as adults.
Remember,reptiles are protected in TN.
Best that he doesn't pick up anything he can't i.d. correctly.
I think TN Game and Fish (or similar) would have a pamphlet of the snakes found in the state to help with the identification.
:Mark

Sounds to me its an eastern garter snake ( thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis) and is the most common snake in Tennessee, and is none venomous...

..read closer about the "stripes" and "checkers".
She needs a field guide or to visit:
http://frogsandsnakes.homestead.com/snakes.html
:Mark

Walter Cook of the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency might have pamphlets and/or good information. His office is in Jackson, TN; area code (731). It's always a good idea to become familiar with state wildlife laws when you move. Tennessee has some very interesting ones.

regards,
althea