Snake in the Grass!

allen griggs

This guy was in the yard yesterday right next to the house.   At least 5 feet long.

brier-49

Cool , he will keep the vermin & poisonous snakes away !

spasmcreeksrun

looks like black rat snake.....gottem at lake place in eastern kansas....great mouser and they can go to the top of a big oak tree like a rocket

jimdeere

Looks like a diamond head cottonback to me!

buddyb

Black Racer.Plenty of them here in the south.In the first picture where it is sort of rippled looking,thats how they look at rest or asleep.He the keeps vermin population down.

bustedknee

NANCY!

I'm sorry, was that a political comment?

Junkballer

buddyb said:

Black Racer.Plenty of them here in the south.In the first picture where it is sort of rippled looking,thats how they look at rest or asleep.He the keeps vermin population down.

Yep, they can get pretty long too, have seen a few that would "almost" stretch across a 2 lane state highway  , and they don't call them a Racer for no reason either....they are fast 

dreher

I have never figured out if the rodent population goes down because of all the rodents Mr. Black Snake eats or if the rodents realize Mr. Black Snake is in the neighborhood and leave the neighborhood under their own power.  Either way is fine with me.  No rodents are good rodents!!              

JIM STARK

looks like black rat snake.....gottem at lake place in eastern kansas....great mouser and they can go to the top of a big oak tree like a rocket..
Absolutely correct....NOT a black racer!!!!
JIM...................

Smitty500mag

Speaking of long snakes. This video is like something out of the Twilight Zone. Something like this would be a nightmare. 
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3OjfK0t1XM

Butchdog2

You had to post it and I had to watch it. Holy cow. No sleep for a month.

Snakes and mice seem to get along ok. Lived in an old house for a few years, Plenty of snakes and mice lived in walls and ceilings.The snakes were the black rat snake variety.  No way a snake could keep up with the vermin population. They don't eat often. 5 to 6 feet long was common. Wife would snatch them right up when one made it into the house.

Know man who went to Togo on missionary trips. If the huts had rats and mice=no snakes(cobras).

No rats and mice= a snake near by. One of his traveling friends told me the natives would use their babies to catch some type of a viper, not the deadly kind. They would stick the babies leg into a snake hole, snake would grab babies leg and then they pull the snake put, it would not let go of the child's foot. True story.

SW0320

Had one of those snakes in front of garage last month.  Just as I was going in to tell wife not to open the garage she opened it.  That snake moved fast into the garage.  Tried everything to get him out he just went behind more and more stuff.  Finally just gave up and left garage door open a couple of inches at the bottom.  He must have gotten out as we have not had any strange smells in the garage like a dead snake.

chiefr

Another black rat snake, lucky you.

CaptFun

Black rat.  Racers are pencil thin,  rats are thicker.  Also the white under the chin on racer does not extend much past the head,  rat snake much farther.  Both good snakes to have,  but the racer will bite you if handled,  rats snakes much more mildly tempered.  .

gesshots

I chased one on HS, X cross country path for about 1/2 mile. Those suckers are fast ! Then for no reason, he stopped, turned, reared up, spat at me and started chasing me. I never ran so fast ! Finally we both stopped, only he didn't need to check his shorts !

Butchdog2

I beg your pardon. A black rat snake will surely bite you if you grab it too far back. Wife been bit several times. Teeth are very fragile and usually break off.

nunn

It's a black rat snake, and it eats mostly warm-blooded prey.

The black racer is similar in appearance, but it mostly eats other snakes, lizards, frogs, etc.