Snake experts, what is this snake?

[GH85Carrera]

He is very calm and I think he is about to shed its skin. The dogs were smart enough to not attack it and just bark at it. They are locked out of the back yard until this thing leaves.

I think it is a Texas Rat snake or King snake.

Any opinions?

If it does not leave overnight I will call animal control and tell them I have a Copper Headed Rattle Moccasin with a coral tip in the back yard and hope they come get it an release it in the nearby woods.

[Baz]

I would contact a local reptile rescue organization if you can find one....that way he could in theory be rescued....

[McLovin]

Def. NOT a python.

King, Rat or Gopher. I think I'd go with Gopher.

[red-beard]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

He is very calm and I think he is about to shed its skin. The dogs were smart enough to not attack it and just bark at it. They are locked out of the back yard until this thing leaves.

I think it is a Texas Rat snake or King snake.

Any opinions?

If it does not leave overnight I will call animal control and tell them I have a Copper Headed Rattle Moccasin with a coral tip in the back yard and hope they come get it an release it in the nearby woods.

Not a king snake. Most likely a Rat Snake.

[stomachmonkey]

Rat snake.

Commonly confused with a Copperhead.

The markings on a Copperhead look similar if you don't know what you are looking for.

Also looks too big to be a Copperhead.

Easy way to tell the difference between venomous snake or not is the eyes.

If venomous will have an elliptical pupil like a cat.

Non venomous have round pupils.

You wanna leave it alone and encourage it to stick around.

May creep you out but it's beneficial.

[Cajundaddy]

Agree, looks like a rat snake. They will keep your rodent population in check.

[GH85Carrera]

It has to go. The dogs get to own the back yard and not share. They do not understand share the yard, and just bark at it.

I know it is a beneficial snake and hope to keep it alive but it needs to go away. If it is still there tomorrow, I will call someone.

[Por_sha911]

Originally Posted by stomachmonkey

Easy way to tell the difference between venomous snake or not is the eyes.
If venomous will have an elliptical pupil like a cat.
Non venomous have round pupils.

LOL. You want someone to get down low and look the thing in the eyes...
You a funny man

[Cajundaddy]

Just go out with a rake or shovel, gently pick him up and carry him out of your yard. If you have a long way to go you can stuff him in a sack. They don't move very fast and can bite but generally don't want to. They just want to hunt rats and maybe find Mrs. snake about now.

We used to have a 6 footer gopher snake that would come up into our pool area every April. I would round him up and take him to the south forty where I would not see him again until next April.

[Don Ro]

I agree...rake or shovel.
Then toss it over the fence.

[Craig T]

Rat snake, and whatever you do don't kill it. They eat three to four rats and gophers a month during the summer. It's similar to our gopher snakes in California. My neighbors used to freak and and kill them. Now they call me. I catch them and let em go on my property.

[Baz]

I would pick him up - while wearing my flip flops.....

[Wetwork]

That's the little known, much feared, nope snake. Common almost everywhere except Ireland. Goes by many different names, "Nope I won't touch it," "Nope not going outside, "Nope you touch it," "Nope it's poison", "Nope its looking at me."-WW

[74-911]

Originally Posted by Craig T

Rat snake, and whatever you do don't kill it. They eat three to four rats and gophers a month during the summer. ....... My neighbors used to freak and and kill them.

This ^^^^ and way to many people kill any snake on sight those most snakes are very beneficial.

[Tobra]

leave it alone, try to keep the dogs away from it

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by Por_sha911

LOL. You want someone to get down low and look the thing in the eyes...
You a funny man

They climb trees and portable basket ball nets so they can get up to eye level.

Their tongue actually tickles when it flicks your nose.

It's how I learned my super power is the ability to leap at least 15 feet across the driveway in a single bound.

In other news, my neighbors kids learn words they probably shouldn't.

I make no apologies.

[rusnak]

Originally Posted by Baz

I would pick him up - while wearing my flip flops.....

Hahaha!!!! maybe give him the what for with your pinkie toe

[fred cook]

Originally Posted by Cajundaddy

Agree, looks like a rat snake. They will keep your rodent population in check.

Yea, but what happens when you run out of rats and mice? I would think the snake would tend to get a bit cranky! On the other hand, when I lived in North Georgia, we had a large black snake that lived in and around our front yard. As long as he was there we never saw any poisonous (i.e. rattlesnakes) there!

[Heel n Toe]

It's most likely that Great Plains Rat Snake but could also be a darker phase of Corn Snake, which is in the Rat Snake family... both are constrictors and will keep your rattler population down.

If you get another look at him, one way of telling if he's about to shed his skin is if the eyes look a little milky... it's just the skin that is over the eyes... they clear back up after shedding.

[yellowperil]

That's one bad looking serpent. I don't think I could share space with it. You guys are braver than I ever could be, and I don't care what kind of eyes he's got.