Snake question

[jbryant]

Does anyone know what type of snake this is?

Thanks in advance,

Jim

[LeeH]

Gopher?

[Tishabet]

That looks like a red boa to me, not native to your area obviously...

[M.D. Holloway]

We had one that looked similar - looks like what is known as a Brown Water Snake.

The brown watersnake is a large snake with dark brown, squarish blotches running down the center of its lighter brown back. This species has alternating rows of square blotches that run along its sides, thus resulting in somewhat of a checkerboard appearance. The belly coloration is variable but is usually a mottled brown color. The eyes and nostrils are situated near the top of the head making it easier for this snake to breath and see at the water’s surface. These snakes are commonly found during the daytime basking on tree branches overhanging the water, into which they escape if disturbed. Unfortunately, this escape strategy may land a brown watersnake into the boat of an unsuspecting fisherman.

Feeding/Diet: The brown watersnake feeds primarily on catfish and is sometimes found with the spines of catfish sticking out its body walls. Surprisingly, the spines eventually fall out and the snakes seem to recover from these “painful” meals.

Habitat/Range: Brown watersnakes are primarily found in rivers or large streams in the Coastal Plain of North Carolina; however, they do extend into the Piedmont along large river systems.

Reproduction: This species breeds from April to May, and females give birth to 15–50 young during late summer or early fall.

Miscellaneous: Like most other watersnakes, brown watersnakes are often mistakenly identified as cottonmouths and killed. When captured, these snakes, like other watersnakes, will bite repeatedly and emit a nasty smelling musk from their anal glands. Female brown watersnakes grow longer and much heavier than males. Although nonvenomous, the bite of a large, female brown watersnake can be quite painful.

[stomachmonkey]

Head looks constictorish from this angle but markings look like N.A. Rat Snake.

[M.D. Holloway]

Stomach - have you come on to any snakes yet? The town next to both of us, Copper Canyon was named for the high volume of Copperheads!

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by LubeMaster77

Stomach - have you come on to any snakes yet? The town next to both of us, Copper Canyon was named for the high volume of Copperheads!

One itty bitty little one in the front foyer. Size of a drinking straw but attitude like a frigin dragon.

Not a copperhead though.

Have had coyote and bobcat encounters and a scorpion in the kitchen.

That's about it so far.

The skunks seem to be back. Think I'm allergic to them, I pass a dead one and my eyes tear up so bad that I can't keep them open and have to pull over.

There was a fresh kill last night over by Target, was worse this morning.

[M.D. Holloway]

Yup - people were actually slowing down. I find a strange compulsion to slow down as well and look at the guts and try to identify what it is that smooshed out all over the road. I am sure the guy behind me loves that...

Back to the snake. I think he has a brown water snake.

[jbryant]

It looks like the brown water snake...except I have no water and am on the side of a Mt.

[targa911S]

Brown side of a mountain snake.

[M.D. Holloway]

Omfg - rotflmfao!!! Thats some funny shyt!

[targa911S]

I'll be here all week, please tip your servers.

[billwagnon]

my server is a Weeble!

[Heel n Toe]

The markings don't look like any of the water snakes I'm familiar with.
Water Snake pictures

It's probably a rat snake of some kind. You didn't say how big it was. The juvenile markings of some rat snakes look similar to the snake in your photo. But the head in your photo doesn't look like a juvenile, in which the head is slightly out-of-proportion-larger, so to speak... it could be a bit beyond that age, however.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3131/3175592678_573f8420eb.jpg
Details
http://img2.allposters.com/images/PTGPOD/OSROA-00000300-001-FB.jpg

It's definitely not a venomous snake unless it's some funky viper somebody brought home from some foreign country and released.

[McLovin]

It's a little blurry to tell, but the head looks like some kind of python or boa.

[ben parrish]

Oh my god!! That's the dreaded "copper headed water rattler"! Runnnn......

[M.D. Holloway]

dude, its a brown side of the moutain snake...

[glewis80SC]

Originally Posted by tishabet

that looks like a red boa to me, not native to your area obviously...

+1

[Rick Lee]

That's not a red tail boa. I owned one for 13 yrs. since a hatchling. It has a boa/python head, but it's some other kind, perhaps a rock or blood python, definitely not indigenous to the US.

BTW, it's non-venomous which means it's a constrictor.

[porsche4life]

Depends on where it is.... Near your house? Dead snake


Middle of the woods? Live snake.