# Snake ID



## Stoney84 (Aug 20, 2012)

Need help identifying this snake. Found in southern Logan county. Approximately 5 ft in length, aggressive once approached. It was vibrating its tail at me, but I DID NOT see a rattle, though it sounded like it. I have a couple ideas, but nothing seems to fit the bill. Maybe someone with more experience can explain what I saw. Thanks


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## buttugly (May 20, 2011)

Looks like a rat snake to me. 

mark


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## triton175 (Feb 21, 2006)

Black rat snake!


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## FromtheShore (Apr 30, 2014)

Yep, Definitely a Black Rat Snake, now know as the Eastern Ratsnake (Pantherophis alleghaniensis). Its our longest snake here in Ohio, and it is quite common for this species of snake to twitch its tail around like a rattle snake. It actually does this to imitate the sound of a rattlers rattle, and it sounds just like it when its down in some dry leaves. Beautiful snake and totally harmless. Its a colubrid species so it likes to constrict its prey. It has a wicked set of teeth that can give you a good bite, but no venom at all. in fact once you get your hands on one of these snakes they calm down quite quickly and let you get a good look at them. Woooo Zoology degree being put to a good use! haha


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## the-fisherman (Sep 20, 2013)

Is the proper identification a "Dead Snake"?

A good snake is a dead snake?

God I hate those things.


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## FromtheShore (Apr 30, 2014)

the-fisherman said:


> Is the proper identification a "Dead Snake"?
> 
> A good snake is a dead snake?
> 
> God I hate those things.


Haha well that depends on if you like rats more then snakes the-fisherman. Personally, id take the snake over those nasty rodents!


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## Stoney84 (Aug 20, 2012)

Geeze thanks guys!


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## the-fisherman (Sep 20, 2013)

FromtheShore said:


> Haha well that depends on if you like rats more then snakes the-fisherman. Personally, id take the snake over those nasty rodents!


Decon works just fine upon rodents. 

I've been scared to death of snakes since was a kid.


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## stanimals2 (Mar 20, 2011)

Man do they stink to


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## Deazl666 (Mar 30, 2012)

the-fisherman said:


> Decon works just fine upon rodents.
> 
> 
> 
> I've been scared to death of snakes since was a kid.



Really? I stepped on a water snake when I was out last week. Pretty long one, too.


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## fastwater (Apr 1, 2014)

> Its our longest snake here in Ohio,


*FromtheShore* is right. Can reach lengths up to eight feet. Have had two here around the house the last couple years. One a full eight footer. The other about six feet. 
I'll usually see them a couple times a summer in the wife's flower beds. Filmed the eight footer in the front yard going up the side of a cherry tree and into a hollowed out spot last summer. 

Have messed with both of these snakes and although both have attitudes and will coil, false rattle and strike in a heartbeat, they will escape quickly if given a chance.
They actually prefer raiding birds nest for a meal than anything else.


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## BottomBouncer (Jan 20, 2005)

Saw a big one under a tree back in high school at Watermark (lake behind channel 6).


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## Orlando (Apr 12, 2004)

Stoney84 said:


> Need help identifying this snake. Found in southern Logan county. Approximately 5 ft in length, aggressive once approached. It was vibrating its tail at me, but I DID NOT see a rattle, though it sounded like it. I have a couple ideas, but nothing seems to fit the bill. Maybe someone with more experience can explain what I saw. Thanks


So ,did you find any mushrooms?


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## FromtheShore (Apr 30, 2014)

Deazl666 said:


> Really? I stepped on a water snake last Thursday when I was out last week. Pretty long one, too.


You have to watch out for those Northern Water snakes. They don't have any venom, but they have an anti-coagulant in their saliva that will thin your blood and make the bite bleed for a long time.


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## Deazl666 (Mar 30, 2012)

FromtheShore said:


> You have to watch out for those Northern Water snakes. They don't have any venom, but they have an anti-coagulant in their saliva that will thin your blood and make the bite bleed for a long time.



Yuck. A giant leech bite, basically...


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## Lazy 8 (May 21, 2010)

Could you get a pic from about 2 inches away?


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## Snyd (May 5, 2004)

While out this past Saturday at alum we had one that my son was watching from in our boat when all of a sudden it started coming toward my motor. I immediately turned on the motor to chase him away.


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## Deazl666 (Mar 30, 2012)

Was all set to visit a buddy in South Carolina last year; three days straight on his bass boat, dawn to dusk. Of course, he had to tell me that cottonmouths like to drop out of trees into your boat while you're working the shore. Thankfully a flood cancelled those plans, lol!!!


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## fastwater (Apr 1, 2014)

> he had to tell me that cottonmouths like to drop out of trees into your boat while you're working the shore


Witnessed this first hand down in Fla. while fishing the St. Johns river. Unfortunately, one of the 'brain surgeons' on board actually shot a hole in their boat trying to hit the snake. A real comedy show to say the least.  

Another thing about fishing down south is if you leave your boat in the water after a days fishing, when going out the next morning, it's a good idea to take a look around the inside of your boat to see if anything crawled in over night. Nothing will ruin a good morning like sitting down in the driver seat of your bass boat, running your legs up under the console and have a friend or two up under there. 



> Could you get a pic from about 2 inches away?


If you can then you can look into its eyes and if the pupils are cat-like then you may just be to close. All three species of poisonous snakes native to Ohio have cat-like pupils. If the snake has round pupils, it's not poisonous.


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## Putty (Jul 22, 2013)

the-fisherman said:


> Is the proper identification a "Dead Snake"?
> 
> A good snake is a dead snake?
> 
> God I hate those things.


What he said.....I was fishing once and saw one wrapped on a branch by me. I couldn't focus to fish and eventually left.


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## FISHERLADY (May 19, 2004)

I hate all snakes! They should be killed. Chopped up for fish bait.


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## Mr. Basskisser (Oct 18, 2005)

We have posted this pic before but it is worth a rerun. Mrs. BK walked up on this on the Scioto. She freaked out. One year we saw big water snakes every time we went up there.

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## laynhardwood (Dec 27, 2009)

i almost stepped on these two water snakes Monday while fishing vermilion river I hooked a nice smallie went to land it then found these two directly under me on the bank here was the bass


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## Putty (Jul 22, 2013)

I would have pulled my pistol on those two


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## acklac7 (May 31, 2004)

you guys want to see some snakes go below Griggs right when they turn the bypass pipes on for the first time (usually in late summer). Dozens (if not hundreds) of snakes will come pouring out of the rocks, almost like something out of an Indiana Jones movie.

And snakes in Columbus are about as threatening as a Turtle, don't see why everyone is so afraid of them


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## Putty (Jul 22, 2013)

acklac7 said:


> you guys want to see some snakes go below Griggs right when they turn the bypass pipes on for the first time (usually in late summer). Dozens (if not hundreds) of snakes will come pouring out of the rocks, almost like something out of an Indiana Jones movie.
> 
> And snakes in Columbus are about as threatening as a Turtle, don't see why everyone is so afraid of them


If I ever saw this I'd never go to Griggs again. In fact, reading this wasnt good for me.


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## missionfishin (Sep 21, 2011)

Years ago me and a buddy rented a boat at West Branch. We were out cruising around and saw a water snake swimming, I eased the boat up to it grabbed it by the tail and tossed it in the boat. I've to this day never seen anyone freak out so bad as my friend did. He about tore the boat apart trying to get away from that snake. I eventually caught the snake amid the chaos and threw it back. I thought it was pretty funny but my friend wasn't real impressed.

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## Buckeye_Sam (Jun 6, 2005)

acklac7 said:


> And snakes in Columbus are about as threatening as a Turtle, don't see why everyone is so afraid of them


I agree completely. I've never been bitten by a snake that I didn't grab first. It's kind of sad that so many people who consider themselves outdoorsmen think that the only good snake is a dead snake. Just leave them alone and they'll do the same.


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## percidaeben (Jan 15, 2010)

FromtheShore said:


> You have to watch out for those Northern Water snakes. They don't have any venom, but they have an anti-coagulant in their saliva that will thin your blood and make the bite bleed for a long time.[/QUOTE
> 
> Now hold on there. Nothern Water Snakes have only a very mild Anticougulant in their saliva. I've been bit more than a few times play'in around with them when I was a kid and also when surveying up around the Islands years ago on Erie. They may seem aggressive, however, that is their defense other than camo. LEAVE THEM alone. There are no (like ack said) here in the area that will hurt you. WE NEED THEM. Observe and enjoy them. Be glad that our environment can still sustain them. Can't understand how y'all think about killing a creature when you are the one invading their environment. Crap I see that and........


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## FromtheShore (Apr 30, 2014)

Oh I completely agree, percidaeben, you don't want to hurt or remove them from their environment. I wasn't demonizing them, more suggesting a reason NOT to handle them, I would, however, say that if you know how to handle snakes, and your not afraid of snakes, that handling them does make it easier to appreciate the animal. I work in the environmental education field, and nothing helps produce respect for an animal more then when people are able to look at and observe them up-close or even touch them. I'v converted many snake haters to lovers with a Black Rat snake, maybe not the water snake though.


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## Bonecrusher (Aug 7, 2010)

Black Crappie


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## AtticaFish (Nov 23, 2008)

My original guess was to call it a Black Ratsnake since i have seen many before and always referred to them as a Black Ratsnake.......... but that is not listed in the ODNR Species Index???? They have a Grey Ratsnake and Norther Black Racer.... no Black Ratsnake. 

Michigan DNR has the black ratsnake listed in its species, but as a rare and protected "species of special concern".

In searching for the answer, there is a species - Western Ratsnake - that is commonly called a Black Ratsnake.


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## buckeyebowman (Feb 24, 2012)

acklac7 said:


> And snakes in Columbus are about as threatening as a Turtle, don't see why everyone is so afraid of them


Same here! You might as well be afraid of night crawlers! If you don't bother them, they won't bother you!


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