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Name:
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BAJ
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Subject:
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BAJ..can you ID this one?
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Date:
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7/30/2004 12:49:08 AM
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Grey body (white or yellow belly). Black head, non triangular. About 4 feet long;, and "wrist thick."
That's not a lot to go on, but I'll see what I can do.
First, I'm assuming that this is something you saw around Lake Martin, and that this isn't some sort of trick question where I get the answer wrong because you saw it in Brazil or some other far-off place, right? ;-)
By "gray body," do you mean no pattern whatsoever? That narrows it down; the Gray Rat Snake is plentiful in our area, but they have a distinct blotch pattern. They do get big; four feet wouldn't be considered a "big" Gray Rat Snake at all. They are usually tree dwellers, but I've seen them everywhere, including swimming.
Our non-pattern snakes are few, which narrows the possibilities down. The Black Racer is (duh) black, but skinny; when they move, they move FAST. The Black Rat Snake isn't quite in our range. The Eastern Hognose can be dark and pattern-free, and the record is a shade over four feet, but they rarely get up three feet. The Coachwhip is dark at the head and extending back for about a third of the body, but then it lightens considerably; I've seen them near the dam, but nowhere else around here, though I know we have them. And the Queen Snake fits the description, except for the size; over two feet is big, and over three would be a record.
So I would guess-- and while it's an educated guess, the key word is GUESS-- that you saw a large Yellow-Bellied Water Snake, likely getting ready to shed its skin; that would make it appear more gray than usual.
It's also possible that it was a nice-sized Eastern Kingsnake; they're black, but can also look grayish when they're getting ready to shed.
How come nobody ever has a camera when they come across these mystery snakes? ;-)
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