Coachwhips in TN are restricted to the Mississippi border counties, about 100 miles south of LBL. There are also some isolated populations in southern Kentucky, but well to the east of LBL.

My boss (Floyd Scott) is the author of the upcoming Tennessee Reptile Atlas, and I've been helping with the data sorting and map creation; I also curate the largest herp collection in Tennessee. My boss and another of my mentors, the late Dave Snyder, conducted thorough herp surveys in LBL in the late 60's and continued herpetological collecting in the area up to the present, and I'm quite familiar with their works and collections. I also have done a good bit of herping in the area myself; I'm from Montgomery County, just to the southeast of LBL, so this is my stomping grounds. Just so you don't think I'm making stuff up! :D

At any rate, without a photo I doubt we'll be able to get much closer. Our ratsnakes here are usually pretty strongly patterned dorsally, but even the duller individuals have strongly patterned venters, so that's out. Hognoses come in chocolate brown, among several other color phases, but I imagine you would have recognized a hog. There are copperbelly watersnakes on the Cumberland side of LBL, but not near Piney; they are usually plain brown above, but the venter would be red or orange, not cream.

I'm inclined to call it a racer, especially if it closely resembles the coachwhip above; they have a pretty overall look. Some individuals here are grayish or brownish rather than jet black.

[ Show Entire Thread ]