A couple of Common Watersnakes in high water on the upper Cuyahoga last July.
-
Happy 3rd Moon Landing, Apollo 14 (1971)! 🚀👨🚀🌕
In honor of National Serpent Day
- Thread starter Caledonia
- Start date
A couple of Common Watersnakes in high water on the upper Cuyahoga last July.
Smooth Green Snake
Dekay's Brown Snake
Northern Ring-necked snake
I didn't know what this one was. Anyone know?
- Joined
- Nov 30, 2017
- Messages
- 1,166
- Reaction score
- 3,500
I’m no snake expert, but that triangular head and thick body to me makes me think venomous snake. My guess would be a copperhead, but that’s a wild guess.
- Joined
- Nov 19, 2013
- Messages
- 1,547
- Reaction score
- 1,354
No expert here but I'm in agreement with Erica. I was always taught that the snakes with triangular heads were to be avoided due to their being poisonous. I'm sure there are exceptions but I've never felt the need to get close enough to check out the pupils of their eyes.
That's all for now. Take care and until next time...be well.
snapper
That's all for now. Take care and until next time...be well.
snapper
I have been trying to figure this out. Hognosed snake is not right and the head is not upside down. The plates on the top of the head are like armor. This snake lives mostly under ground and uses its head to push through soil, sometimes quite gravelly.
My next guess will be pine snake. They are variable in markings and there is currently much debate about species- eastern, northern, southern, etc. Pine snake gets very large
My next guess will be pine snake. They are variable in markings and there is currently much debate about species- eastern, northern, southern, etc. Pine snake gets very large
Looks like a northern water snake per Dr. Google.
- Joined
- Nov 30, 2017
- Messages
- 1,166
- Reaction score
- 3,500
Neither the pine snake nor the northern water snake have a triangular head. Here's the head of a copperhead, which shows the plate-like scales on top of the head.
Copperhead
Copperhead
No triangular head that I can see. Definitely not a copperhead. Scales appear keeled, consistent with water snakes.
I don't know much about snakes, but the infallible interweb tells me that most pit vipers, including northern copperheads, have keeled scales.
Northern copperhead
Always free of charge, the Smithsonian’s National Zoo is one of Washington D.C.’s, and the Smithsonian’s, most popular tourist destinations, with more than 2 million visitors from all over the world each year. The Zoo instills a lifelong commitment to conservation through engaging experiences...
I also read that copperheads have "Hershey Kiss" or hourglass-shaped bands on their bodies. I don't see those on @lowangle al's snake-on-a-stick dinner treat.
- Joined
- Nov 30, 2017
- Messages
- 1,166
- Reaction score
- 3,500
This is an interesting search. Next time, lowangleAl, if you could please pick it up and get close ups of the mouth, the head, mouth open and closed, and a close up of the pattern from the top and sides. 
From looking at a lot of photos, I can see why Mason thinks it’s a water snake. Some of the photos of water snakes do have a slightly widened jaw, vs one as smooth and cylindrical as a coral snake for example. According to one source water snakes try to push out the jaw so they better resemble a venomous snake.
The water snake has a pointed nose, while the copperhead has a “plow nose.” As seen from the top, the water snakes eyes are visible. A copperhead’s eyes are not visible from the top.
Both have keeled scales.
Finally, the banded water snake has verticle dark bands which extend over the upper and lower lips, like this;
Copperhead with no bands over the lips.
Glenn, if you google through a bunch of images of copperheads, you’ll see the color and shape of the markings vary. There’s a discussion of it here:
Copperheads
Here are concise pointers on the difference between copperheads and water snakes.
Difference
This has really forced me to do some research and thinking on the topic. Thanks, Caledonia for starting this thread.
From looking at a lot of photos, I can see why Mason thinks it’s a water snake. Some of the photos of water snakes do have a slightly widened jaw, vs one as smooth and cylindrical as a coral snake for example. According to one source water snakes try to push out the jaw so they better resemble a venomous snake.
The water snake has a pointed nose, while the copperhead has a “plow nose.” As seen from the top, the water snakes eyes are visible. A copperhead’s eyes are not visible from the top.
Both have keeled scales.
Finally, the banded water snake has verticle dark bands which extend over the upper and lower lips, like this;
Copperhead with no bands over the lips.
Glenn, if you google through a bunch of images of copperheads, you’ll see the color and shape of the markings vary. There’s a discussion of it here:
Copperheads
Here are concise pointers on the difference between copperheads and water snakes.
Difference
This has really forced me to do some research and thinking on the topic. Thanks, Caledonia for starting this thread.
That snake didn't look like any of the photos I saw of copperheads. I thought there was a chance it was a rattler. The snake looked like it had some damage to the tail area from being run over by a car. Maybe it lost its rattle. It most likely was a water snake as there are lots of them here, but it didn't look typical.
Erica, I retired from recreational snake handling back in 72 when my recently caught pet snake tried to bite me. I quickly handed him off to my friend Charlie who was promptly bitten.
Erica, I retired from recreational snake handling back in 72 when my recently caught pet snake tried to bite me. I quickly handed him off to my friend Charlie who was promptly bitten.
Although it's been a looooong time, I've handled both copperheads and various water snakes. Water snakes have much more strongly keeled scales than copperheads (or most of the other snakes of the Southeast, most of which I handled in my youth, venomous and non-venomous). They have a decidedly rough appearance and texture, visible in the photos provided here.
Geez, Erica, don't even suggest a close up exam in case someone with a Masters in Darwinian Philosophy thinks that's a good idea! 
I have never liked snakes. We used to go to the National Zoo and see all kinds of giant serpents. They gave me the creeps.
In Maryland on canoe trips, they were everywhere. Swimming in the water, hanging in shrubs.
I have no interest in hiking and camping in Florida these days due to the invasion of large serpents from Asia. The population of pythons and boas constrictors has eliminated much of the rodent, small mammal and bird populations in large parts of the state. It appears to be a permanent invasion that cannot be reversed. One of the worst biological tragedies of this century.
In Maryland on canoe trips, they were everywhere. Swimming in the water, hanging in shrubs.
I have no interest in hiking and camping in Florida these days due to the invasion of large serpents from Asia. The population of pythons and boas constrictors has eliminated much of the rodent, small mammal and bird populations in large parts of the state. It appears to be a permanent invasion that cannot be reversed. One of the worst biological tragedies of this century.
Similar threads
