Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I found this in Southeastern Illinois on a Morel Mushroom hunt. It rattled its tail quite a bit but it was not a rattlesnake.

Please click the image to be taken to the video I took holding it.

That is also a harmless Black Ratsnake. Although it is slightly different looking from the one in the post below, it is because they can be extremely variable, especially depending on their locale in their huge range. They can range from solid black with no pattern at all, to individuals with fairly light gray backgrounds and darker saddle blotching.

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

my website -Serpentine Specialties

Thanks, I love snakes. I turned it loose in our barn so maybe it can feed on mice for the nexy several years. It wasn't aggressive at all.

Yes, it will certainly utilize the barn to it's feeding advantage. Sort of like living in it's own snake "restaurant"..

cheers, ~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

my website -Serpentine Specialties

So nice to hear people appreciating these animals and seeing what a benefit they are and not a menace. You get my "awesome" award of the day friend!
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~Markus

The very existence of flamethrowers means that sometime, somewhere, someone said to themselves..."You know, I really want to set those people over there on fire...but I'm just not close enough to get the job done."