For those of you out there that hate King snakes (black snakes)

[mistyfeather]

sory to the one who posted that no north american snake will reach 12 ft

bull snakes can and do (quite frequently) reach that length , i know this from peorsonaly mesuring them (not eyeblling it but realy measuring them )like king snakes their food suply and enviroment will be contributing factors on how big they will get , i used to work for some one that would go nd remove them for people and relocate them to frms for rodent controll, in one 12' x 28' wood pile we found 3 @ 12' and 6 reaching 10'

in tht pile there we over 150 bull snkes

on 10 acres over run with rodents , bull snkes eat rattlers, copperheads and water mocasins as do king snakes

 

[Thamnophis]

That would be me Misty.

Sorry but people have been searching for 150 years and never found a snake in the US that was anywhere near 12 feet. Some recent reports are confirmed of bullsnakes in Texas that were a bit over 8 feet, but thats it. Indigoes also very rarely exceed 8 feet.

No snake in the US has ever come anywhere near 12 feet (except the introduced pythons in south Florida.) Snakes produce an emotional response in people and that leads to all sorts of exaggeration.

 

[Thamnophis]

Quote:
You have the southern black racer down there. It is a very fast snake indeed, thus the name. They are completely different snakes from rat snakes.

They do strike if cornered, and "rattle" their tale when agitated, but not the real buzz of rat snakes.
Some actually become completely quite when picked up, though most bite. Their bites are not very painful. They will always try to get away if given a chance.

Black rat snakes are much slower, more deliberate snakes. Though they can move quickly at times. Your racers will eat other snakes too, but also will eat most anything: crickets, frogs, mice, small birds and lizards.

 

[animals1981]

lol misty you are a silly silly goose

that species of snakes world record is 8 feet and something inches there has never been one over that ever what u caught was someones escaped python

 

[StrawberryHouseMouse]

Quote:
Ive raised western and tri colored hognose snakes in the past for a few years. I can say that some do bite and are agressive. Ive been bit a few times, no real damage since I didnt allow it to bite me long enough to get to the rear fangs. Ive been chased by them as well. lol yes stop laughing at me. You'd run too if one came out of its container with mouth dangling open, trying to snag you by the hand, or whatever it could get ahold of.

 

[Chook-A-Holic]

Thamnophis, George is definitely male and the other two he were with are definitely female. This is a family site so I will just stop at the back-rubs and massages...lol. They stayed in that same spot for a few days.

 

[Alabama ee]

Quote:
Whatever George is, it is a huge snake. We have some large black snakes that look like him here in North AL. I have seen some across walk ways and paths sunning. A few of them I have seen are 51/2 to 6 feet long. They seem to be mild mannered. I have gotten fairly close, and watched them. They seem to be calmer than the rat snakes with a diamond like pattern. The ones with a diamond like pattern seem to have a quick temper. When I first saw one of those, I thought it was a Rattlesnake and killed it. Its mouth was open and it was hissing and thumping its tail. I saw one last year. That one we just relocated in the woods further from the house. I like the mild mannered black ones MUCH better.

 

[RM44]

George sure is pretty. We just purchased some land in Tennessee (Middle TN, on the plateau far side of Sequatchie Valley). While visiting, we saw one that looked exactly like that headshot you have there. Pure black on the top, and solid distinct change to white on the bottom. I am by no means an expert, and am not not even sure there is a difference between them (google, here I come!), but we always called the snakes that look like George "Black Racers". I have also had the pleasure of seeing an indigo snake once (in Florida), and I catch Eastern Kings all the time (I think I posted a pic on here of the 4 foot long one I caught this year). I am not sure I've ever seen a black rat snake, but my vote for George is "black racer".

I love snakes (well, the non-venomous ones that is), and I always thought that all black snakes would eat poisonous snakes. Even if they don't, there certainly aren't any poisonous black snakes here in the southeast, so if you're a snake and you're black, you're welcome to stay around my place!

 

[Alabama ee]

Quote:
....Unless it is a Cottonmouth. Those are black. HOwever, those have a "fat" body compared to how big it is. Those don't grow as big length wise as "George" and have that pit viper head triangle head. Also, never really heard of anyone being bitten by a cottonmouth. I have heard of folks being bitten by a copperhead. We live close to an area where people can hike and climb. There have been folks bitten from sticking their hands in crevices when climbing.

 

[nonseq]

Thamnophis - I can't imagine letting any snake chew on me for 3 - 5 minutes. Ugh!

And I don't have any problem with snakes. They are amazing creatures.