Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum
ALMOST BEEKEEPING - RELATED TOPICS => FARMING & COUNTRY LIFE => Topic started by: Bee Happy on July 17, 2009, 06:53:55 pm
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The dogs were raising a ruckus; so i went outside for a look only to see a 4-5' black snake coiled up in an old holding cage we used to use for chickens. the odd thing was. it had a garter snake shaped head, until I nudged it with a stick to see if it struck and showed me 'cotton'. he hissed and his head flattened into a clear V shape - I hope I wasn't wrong but I exposed him to the dogs and let them kill it. I was afraid to put the sword to it because the dogs insisted on being involved. I have heard of snakes that can imitate a viper, but I'm not sure if they imitate water moccasins. Anyone know for sure?
Under normal circumstances if I see a corn snake or other known harmless snake, I catch it on a stick and escort it off the property; keeps my wife happy knowing I put it someplace else.
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Any snake that feels threatened will defend itself. Coach Whips will tear you apart. You'll be running around yelling "Quit Ya'll!" But they are not poisonous.
Water moccasins, rattlers, copperheads and Coral Snakes are the only native poisonous snakes in the USA and that doesn't sound like any of them. A Hog Nose will hiss, flatten out, Strike at, but not connect... no teeth, and then play dead. But they aren't black.
(http://www.longdog.karoo.net/smilies/pics.gif)
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We've had a coachwhip on the property, and you're right, they are wicked mean snakes for no venom. - the dogs killed it, but not before getting bit once for each of I don't know how many tries. -fast crawlers too. I'll get a pic and post it here.
http://img249.imageshack.us/img249/7572/snake001.jpg
http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/5008/snake002w.jpg
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How about this?
http://gardenplotter.com/rospo/blog/2006/06/black-rat-snake.html
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How about a black rat snake that is solid black and when harassed It changes color and pattern to appear to look a Diamond Back Rattler?
And yes, one corn snake has the ability to spread out and change the shape of his head to make him resemble a copper head.
And yes, most any snake will shake their tail in a fast motion and if they are in dry leaves you will think you have a rattler, even a king snake will do this.
And yes, Only four "4" poisonous snakes in North America, only 3 of these are "pit vipers",
The Coral snake is not a pit viper.
And yes, it is against the (law) in the State if "Georgia" to kill a non poisonous snake.
And yes, I am still around and my name is "doak"
P S and yes, I'll be back again, and again, and again. :roll: :roll: :roll: :)
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I was thinking rat snake as well, too thin to be a moccasin. Hog snakes are very cool snakes, as Jerry pointed out they will hiss and do their best to intimidate, if this doesn't work, they play dead! :lau:
...JP
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from everything you guys said and google, it looks a lot like maybe a black hognose snake. it did exactly the flattening and hissing along with spreading his jaws to look like a viper. afraid the play dead bit was no act though.
if it were illegal to kill a non venomous snake here I guess I'd be acquitted; the dogs got it. (doak? that looked offended?) if I know I'm dealing with a non venomous snake I take it off the property and away from the dogs - if it tries to come back right away - the dogs discourage it. oddly my next door neighbor sees pygmy rattlers and diamondbacks in their yard; I never see any in mine, and I have to wonder if it's the dogs' scent keeping them off the property - my real name isn't Patrick for sure.
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doak,
Got a burr under you saddle there bud?
Not a hog nose. Hog nose shakes are named for their turned up nose. Makes it look like it has a hog's nose. The one in the picture does not.
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I didn't think I mentioned a "hog nose" snake.
and no, no burrs.
And yes, they can all hiss. :)doak
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Edit: Oops, got your pictures mixed up. Hard to tell what the snake looks like when it is all cut up and the air let out... :roll:
Did it look anything like this when inflated?
(http://lh5.ggpht.com/_afb0A-PMxhY/Sfx8UU9HI8I/AAAAAAAABVA/9-R10oMJoY4/s400/IMG_1553.JPG) (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/sX2YkfXrKHwbCymLR32ZGw?feat=embedwebsite)
Add: sounds like a black eastern hognose to me. Some great pictures here:
http://www.duke.edu/~jspippen/herps/easternhognosesnake.htm
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he did, but he didn't make a hood like a cobra; he just spread his jawbones so his head took on the wedge shape vipers have. thinking back on it though, I think a vipers head is just wedge shaped all the time.
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Correct you are. :)doak