Any Snake Experts Out There?

[RobS]

Found this little guy out at our property today. It's about 18 inches long and surprisingly aggressive. I nudged him with a little stick-weed and he snapped then coiled up and hissed. We all had a good look at it, then left it alone. Any one know what kind it might be?

Thanks ahead of time /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[TWINKLE_TOES]

Rob
No expert here, but looks like a garter snake to me.
Al

 

[RobS]

... another picture after I got him riled up/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[cp1969]

No positive ID, but it looks something like the brown water snakes we have in Kansas. They are the most aggressive snake I've encountered as sometimes they will come at you unprovoked. They aren't poisonous but I don't want to get bit even if they aren't.

 

[DocHeb]

No, don't think its a garter snake.

Maybe a Hog-nosed snake?

We've got a book in the ED showing snakes of Michigan. We use it to check out snakes that get brought in after patients accidently get in the way of a snakebite. I'll look through it next time I'm at work. Most of the time the snake really loses out - a shame since the snake was just doing what snakes do.

 

[smilingreen]

Rob,
I am glad he is in your back yard and not mine. I have to contend with eastern diamond back rattlers in my woods. I send a few up your way.....we won't miss em!!.

 

[TresCrows]

I think what you may there is a Kingsnake. These are good to have around as they will kill rodents and even other hopefully poisnous snakes. They will behave aggressive but they are actually often kept as pets. Snakes are rather odd because they have such limited range during their life that local varieties of a parent species will develop with different colorations and even behavoirs--sub species. Darwinism at it's best. I am not absolutely sure it is a Kingsnake because the pic is not very good but whatever it is it is harmless. All poisious snakes in N America with the exception of the coral snake are Pit Vipers. They have a triangle shaped head and pits below their eyes that can see Infra red. All pit vipers can be aggressive if cornered but generally prefer to slither away if left alone. Some harmless snakes such as the Hognose aka spred'n'atter and possum snake etc can mimic a Viper and have a triangle shaped head somewhat and will rattle their tail agaisnt loose leaves-they do not have rattles in their tails like the rattlesnake. That snake in the pic could also be a Hognose local variety with the chain pattern which mimics the King snake. Since Kingsnakes will kill a rattler this is an evolutionary adaptation for the little Hognose as is the traingle shaped head to scare you and his ability to flatten out and hiss when disturbed and if you persist he will roll over and play dead and if you then insist further upon harrasing the little Hognose he will vomit up his most recent frog dinner on you and or evacuate his bowls on you--also a favorite trick of several "runner" type snakes such as the Speckled runner. Snakes are good though a Copperhead once put 4 holes(two quick bites) in my foot while I was out running--yep--true to most Louisiana country boys I never used shoes when I ran, we just carried them around so they would not get muddy--I did not do much more running that season. J

 

[ByuBill]

Check Michigan Snakes here <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.geocities.com/Petsburgh/Reserve/7416/mi.html>http://www.geocities.com/Petsburgh/Reserve/7416/mi.html</A>

 

[RobS]

Thanks guys, I'm going with the hognose. That was my first inclination though this one sure didn't play dead! Hope he slithered off to shelter as we have plenty of field mice for him to eat /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[Argee]

Looks like a puff adder. Good for the garden. My wife hates them. Charlie (my Golden Retriever) thinks they're chew toys. They eat field mice, voles, etc.

 

[Argee]

Puff Adder

 

[RobS]

You see those on your place in Michigan? Odd, since it wasn't listed in the other post with native Michigan snakes. I don't think it had the markings like the picture you posted, but thanks anyway /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[Inspector507]

Rob,
Who cares what kind of snake it is? It's still a darned snake /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

 

[Argee]

Different regions have different markings. I went out on the net to find that picture. If it puffs up when agitated it's probably a puff adder. We got them by the hundreds up here. There is only one poisonous snake(to humans) in Michigan. The Missasauga(S?) Rattler that I know of.

 

[TresCrows]

I went back and looked at the pic with my glasses on, I think you have a hognose there, aka spred'n'adder, possum snake, puff adder etc. I think I can see the slightly upturned nose. Markings are diffucult to go by because they can vary locally--isolated breeding populations. The hognose is good to have about as he will eat toads and rodents stuff. He is quite harmless.
J

 

[RobS]

Aahhh, so you are both right? Is a puff adder the same as a hognose? It did have a bit of a turned up nose, I just didn't expect the aggressive behavior. Of course, our first truly nice day... maybe he was just sunning himself and didn't want to be bothered. Thanks for the help /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[MossRoad]

When you bugged him did he flatten out his head and puff up? If so, it is probably a hog nosed snake. They are all show and no go. They'll strike at you a few times, but with their mouth closed. Very similar actions to a rattlesnake. Some times, if you bug them enough, they roll over and play dead. If you roll them on their stomach, they'll even roll back. When they are not alarmed, they can reach over 3 feet long, but when bothered, they shorten up quite a bit. I think they eat frogs and small rodents. Good snake to have around. Lots of fun to play with too.

If it's any consolation, it doesn't look like the rattlers that I saw around there when I was a kid /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif.

 

[TWINKLE_TOES]

Chris,
Nope, not a garter snake/w3tcompact/icons/blush.gif How many of your patients that get bitten say "I thought it was a garter snake". Glad I don't live in rattle snake country..

Al

 

[Bayrat]

Looks like just enough for the galley /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif.

 

[StoneHeartFarm]

Rob,

I'd have to agree with the puff adder (blow snake) theory. I had one just about the same color in my rock pile last summer. I also saw one that was almost black not a hundred feet away. The only reason I know they were both the same kind of snake is because they both tried to pull the cobra routine on me. /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

The one in the rock pile lasted right up until he tried to leave. Then the hawk got him. Left a little slithery trail through the sand right up until them two hawk prints bit.

The only reservation I would have on identification would perhaps be for a copperhead. I'm told blow snakes are often mistaken for copperheads. Not having seen a copperhead in 30 years and never in Michigan, I would lean toward blow snake. In the event, however, that it should turn out to be a copperhead, please take the pictures to the DNR. Believe me, they really, really like to find out when new species are entering the state.

SHF