Are Black Snakes poisonous?

[TurtleFeathers]

A black rat snake WILL "rattle" its tail if its afraid or angry. They'll coil up and strike, similar to a cobra as well (as will many other harmless snakes). But they're WAY more afraid of you than you are of them, so they have to do SOMETHING to defend themselves!!

Another myth about black snakes is that they will breed with copperheads and create venomous hybrids. Alot of the old farmers around here believe this, I'm assuming because young black snakes do have that grey/white/black diamond pattern before they go all black. But black snakes breeding with copperheads and producing offspring is genetically impossible. Black snakes are egg layers, and copper heads are live bearers. Can't be done.

 

[aprophet]

Quote:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1342121095325361927#

 

[redhen]

No..they are not dangerous. the only venomus (sp?) snakes in MA are the Rattle snake and the Copperhead...
You may have a rat snake or even a water snake...
the water snakes in MA do not have any venom...
Well..i THINK hognoses have a small amount of venom.(not sure about that though...).. but they wont really hurt ya at all...

 

[FiveHens]

I don't know a kind of black snake that is poisonuos. In the east (USA), you have black racers, rat snakes, ring-necks, milk snakes...all harmless and non-aggressive unless you make them angry. Water snakes, on the other hand, can be pretty aggressive but are also nonvenomous.

However, if it's actually rattling using a rattle on its tail, I would guess that it's some morph of a rattlesnake, although their is no pure black rattlesnake, their are dark ones. If it's pure black, it's not a rattler. Looking in the guidebook here...It looks like you might have some timber rattlesnakes up there...they have a dark morph and are poisonous. All rattle snakes are, if you have one, pretty identifiable by their flat heads and, naturally, rattles.

Try this for dark-morph timber rattlesnakes: http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/Wildlife/Nongame/snakes/profile_timber_rattlesnake.htm

Good luck!

 

[FireTigeris]

Quote:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1342121095325361927#

that dude is crazy cottonmouths are the only snake around here that will peruse a threat for a short distance ... they are fast and have nasty tempers.

most black colored snakes are non venomous except one of my buddies has a meleistic (amyl ?) coral snake, all black, very venomous and also bad tempered.

its non release-able due to being hit by a car.

 

[ranchhand]

Quote:
Then again, you could always go to the source of accurate info gathered by people who have learned their subjects.

 

[sixinva]

while blacksnakes are not poisonous, and do eat mice...they also eat small birds....ive seen them clean out a robins nest...and have read about small, ahem, chickens....So im not too crazy about them anymore.....

 

[mistyfeather]

black racers arent poisonus BUT

in the spring are agresive and will chase you! when i was 12 me and a freind were chased by one, it treed us

quite embaressing considering im not afraid of snakes ( i love them

) but it is a shock to be actualy chased by one

even tho i used to go inertubing down a slow section of river that was homed to several water moccasins when one would swim to close i would just very gently push it away ( still to this day i dont see how i could run from a snake)

 

[shay20]

Quote:
Then again, you could always go to the source of accurate info gathered by people who have learned their subjects.

lol ,
i looked that website up on my last encounter of that milk snake, lol
i saw this one on there too, what got me nervoiuse is it says it will release a musk for defence, so i was just makeing sure that is was not posionuse, God i have way to many snakes here.
Too many different kinds too.

 

[shay20]

Quote:
ummm that would be me, LOL