Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi. Just moved into a new house. Saw this little snake, I guess about a foot long on my back porch, so I killed it with a hoe. It was light brownish with darker vertical stripes along the side. A not-so-good picture is attached, but it will give you the idea. Just wondering if someone can tell me what kind of snake it was. Thanks

Could just be me, but the picture isn't showing up.

From your description, and where you live, it sound like it "was" a Texas Brown Snake(Storeria dekayi texana).

One thing is absolutely certain, and that is that it was a totally harmless snake that you killed for no good reason. There is NO venomous snake in the U.S. that fits that description at all.

~Doug

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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

my website -Serpentine Specialties

This is a tough one. It looks like we are seeing the side of the snake? From that, I would guess it is a juvenile watersnake, probably a Diamondbacked Watersnake (Nerodia rhombifer)

Also, TX is a big state. It would help if you had narrowed it down to at least a part of TX. If you are in the eastern 2/3 of the state, I stick with young Diamondbacked Watersnake. Completely harmless.

Here's an adult from Val Verde County for comparison -

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Chris Harrison
San Antonio, Texas

House is near west of Fort Worth, Texas. Neighbors have said there are copperheads, water moccasins, and rattlesnakes. It was a small snake, maybe 1 foot long, light brownish with darker vertical lines. Not sure if the coloring or lines would have changed if the snake grew larger and older. Hopefully here is a good link to the snake picture:

or

http://postimage.org/image/2df5quclg/

Thanks.

House is near west of Fort Worth, Texas. Neighbors have said there are copperheads, water moccasins, and rattlesnakes.

I'm always skeptical of local people's reports of Copperheads and Water Moccasins (Cottonmouths) simply because most people don't really know what those two species look like.

There are 32 species of snake in Tarrant County. There are the Broad-banded Copperhead, the Western Cottonmouth, 2 species of rattlesnake and 28 SPECIES of harmless snakes. The harmless snakes are more common than Copperheads or Cottonmouths. Yet most of your neighbors don't recognize them as being present in your area.

The snake you killed was clearly harmless. It looks like a Diamondback Watersnake, although I couldn't rule out a Yellow-bellied Watersnake without a clearer photo. I can positively rule out Copperhead, Cottonmouth, and either Rattlesnake.
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Chris Harrison
San Antonio, Texas

Chris is, as usual, correct. That was absolutely a harmless water snake.

~~Greg~~