Snake ID

[Chicken_Addict]

I hate to be the one to say it ..correct me if i am wrong though...

it is in ur pond with ur ducks wont it eat or kill them i have to be honest i would have shot it or had someone come get it ugh i hte snakes!!!!


goodluck with it keep ur duckies safe

 

[fowlweatherfriends]

Honestly, It may look like a diamond back watersnake in the pic, but it reminds me also of the cottonmouths/water moccasins that we have. They are pit vipers and very territorial. I'll see if I can drum up a pic for comparison. I was of the understanding that if the snakes head is larger than the body they are poisonous, and if the head is flush with the width of the body non-poisonous.

Here's the pic I came up with-to me some varieties are very difficult to distinguish due to male/female, adult, juvenile patterns etc.

http://www.snakesandfrogs.com/scra/snakes/images/stayaway1.jpg

 

[webdawg]

Searching snakes of La. I think it's a Diamondback water snake. Here is a link

http://www.kingsnake.com/louisiana/species_diamondback_water_snake.htm

 

[Chicken_Addict]

fowlweather i also thought it looked like a water moccasin but couldnt think of the names

ok someone plz answer me will it eat or kill her ducks?

 

[Jsto]

Although it pains me to stare at the picture (not the biggest snake fan here...don't dislike them in theory, they just tend to creep me out a bit!) that first picture is amazing. The way the snake is sitting, the setting--looks like a professional photo!

 

[bayourouge]

i live further south in louisiana and a water snake will eat young ducks. i've seen one take a 2wk old muscovy. snapping turtles will take em too. your older ducks should be fine, though. snakes will keep the rat population down. you know louisiana is full of rats, coons, possums and snakes and i've found my rat terrier to be the best at keeping all these things away from my chickens. as for protecting the ducks, maybe keep babies away from the water for 6 wks or so.

 

[Hotwings]

Aint no way in Gods creation would I get near a snake like that in the wild!!! I don't hate snakes really I know they have their place in the wild but........ You definitely live in the wild kingdom down there lol. Hey by the way how are your rescue chicks doing? Did you find out what they are?

 

[bayouchica]

Hey yall thanks for all your replies. I went thru those links & it's a toss up between Brown water snake or Diamond back snake. I was just curious on what it was.
Yes, I missed my calling to work for National Geographic... LOL I really enjoy taking pics of all the wildlife around here. Now I wish I had a better camera with a decent zoom so I don't have to get so close to my subjects.

All of my ducks are several years old, but like bayourouge said they will eat baby ducks. I have floated up some logs in the front of our place to put their food on when they come around.
I don't mind the snakes around here,I think they are beautiful.
hey ya bayourouge, I have a male rat terrier & a mixed female rat terrier & catahoula curr.They are the best possum dogs I have ever seen.Now I just need them to get all the freaking coons around.
Later,Miriam

 

[bayourouge]

i'm sure your cur could handle a coon. i know my rat terrier can kill a possum. i've seen him do it, but it wasnt easy. he got cut up pretty good. the coons stay out of my yard but i do see them on our bayou alot. i have several neutra rats(spelling?) around here but they seem to only eat the vegitation.

 

[AccidentalFarm]

From an article I found at Southeasteroutdoors.com:

Identifying Snakes
There are two families of venomous snakes native to the United States. The pit vipers, of the family Crotalidae, which include rattlesnakes, copperheads and cottonmouths, make up the vast majority of venomous snakes in the country. Pit vipers get their common name from a small heat-sensing pit between the eye and nostril that allows the snake to sense prey at night.

The other family of venomous snakes is Elapidae, which includes two species of coral snakes found chiefly in the southern states. They are related to the much more dangerous Asian cobras and kraits. Coral snakes have small mouths and short teeth, which give them less efficient venom delivery than pit vipers. People bitten by coral snakes lack the fang marks of pit vipers, sometimes making the bite hard to detect.

Here are a few guidelines to identify most venomous snakes.

Pit Vipers

* Head Shape: large, triangular shaped head and much narrower neck
* Pupil Shape: vertical or elliptical pupil, like a cat's eye
* Presence of Rattles: rattlesnakes only

Coral Snakes

* Head Shape: slender
* Pupil Shape: round

Coral snakes share many characteristics of non-venomous snakes. There are many variants on sayings that will help one remember the difference between a coral snake and a harmless king snake or milk snake.

"Red on yellow, kill a fellow; red on black, venom lack."

"Red next to black is safe for Jack; red next to yellow will kill any fellow."

"Red on yellow, dangerous fellow; red on black, friend to Jack"

"Red on yellow, kill a fellow; red on black, won't hurt Jack"

All tell the same warning about the color pattern for North American coral snakes. However, identifying venomous snakes isn't easy; there are numerous exceptions to the rules above, especially when dealing with coral snakes. Characteristics such as head shape are subjective to the observer; something that appears triangular to one person may seem slender to another. And some nonvenomous water snakes have characteristics that make it easy to confuse them with venomous snakes. Also, identifying some of these characteristics, such as noting the pit sensors, requires close examination of the snake, something we recommend you avoid.