Posted on 05/09/2009 5:27:52 PM PDT by humblegunner
I agree with #50 poster. That definitely looks like a water moccasin. At least here in Oklahoma, this is the three to four week period in spring every year when snakes are on the move and you tend to see them squashed on the highways. My neighbor spent some time sitting on top of her car last week after spotting a fairly large snake near the driveway. We live near the edge of town and next to a large open field, so we get all kinds of wildlife meandering through our neighborhood at times, and that’s just counting the humans.
LOL!
Looks like a King Snake to me. Too bad you killed it. They’re very beneficial animals. They eat mice and rats and such.
Ding ding ding!!! We have a winner. It is without a doubt a pit viper. It’s very clear in his photos.
“This here is pure Alabama blacksnake”
Went to U of H (25 years ago) and worked out in Lakewood Forrest at Treeline Golf Course. That is a Water Moccasin. Our ponds had quite a few of them.
I don't know.....but I saw one at my cousin's horse barn just outside of Ft. Myers, FL. The snake lived in the horse barn and was quite welcomed there because it ate the rodents. When we accidentally flushed it from the stables, it flew across the grass. Thats why they are called racers. What was cool about it was that it would would stop about every 20 feet and raise its head and look around.......
Could very well be, but still a beautiful snake.
Had one in the rock wall in back yard for about six years. Creepy at first, until I looked it up. He was actually pretty tame and got used to us. He sunned himself in warm weather starting around 10AM every day.
My two ended up just like yours. Dead and sectioned in several places. Keep your eyes open for the second one. There’s always a second one.
Looks like a cotton mouth. I hate them things. They usually have no fear and will even confront ya. Once I was out in a bayou and one was ballsy enough to swim across and up to the boat.
You did did the world a service by killin’ that thing.
What kind of grass is that?
Open the mouth. Did it have fangs? I hope you didn’t kill a harmless black rat snake.
Humblegunner is a jake-legged Neanderthal and could never catch a "racer" so we can rule that out.
What makes you think it's a pit viper? Can you make out either of the two heat-sensing organs located between the eyes and nostrils in those distant shots? Or the "movable fangs"?
Pit Viper:
Any species of viper (subfamily Crotalinae) that has, in addition to two movable fangs, a heat-sensitive pit organ between each eye and nostril which together help it accurately aim its strike at its warm-blooded prey. Pit vipers are found from deserts to rain forests, primarily in the New World. They may be terrestrial, arboreal, or aquatic. Some species lay eggs; others produce live young. See also bushmaster, copperhead, fer-de-lance, moccasin, rattlesnake.
"pit viper." Encyclopædia Britannica Online 2009:
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/461927/pit-viper
That’s like the one I had in my grove .. beautiful ..
good for the pests, and yes: very endangered.
They are very pet worthy for those who like the herps.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.