Laura, maybe Joel, can you help me identify the snake I saw? It was approx.
36" long, very shiny black on top, with greyish underbelly. When I looked
very, very closely I could see the faintest white diamond pattern against
the black, with the diamonds being only outlined and barely an inch wide.
Google searches are bringing up photos of black racers, black rat snakes,
black kingsnakes, and a few others; but none has this faint white diamond
marking.
Pat
Hello Pat,
Young black rat snakes have a distinct black and white diamond pattern...
this pattern may be visible each year when BR snakes have just shed their
skin... I am not sure...
I recommend that you look at the black rat snake photos (and other Northern
VA ecology photos) at the Stratford Landing Elementary School web site:
http://www.fcps.edu/StratfordLandingES/Ecology/mpages/organism_menu.htm
Here is a direct link to the section on black rat snakes but you can also
scroll down through the main menu page at the above address:
http://www.fcps.edu/StratfordLandingES/Ecology/mpages/black_rat_snake.htm
Joel
Joel Gruver
Dept of Soil Science
NC State University
jgruv@hotmail.com
Joel wrote:
> Young black rat snakes have a distinct black and white
> diamond pattern...
The diamond pattern on my snake was very, very faint. I'm not sure I would
have noticed it had I not put my face right up to the snake (there was a
screen between me and it). Nothing like the picture.
> I recommend that you look at the black rat snake photos (and
> other Northern VA ecology photos) at the Stratford Landing
> Elementary School web site:
I spent almost an hour enjoying that site, learning a few new things about
wildflowers, weeds, shrubs, and vines.
Pat
Hello Pat,
Are you saying that the pattern on the young black snake pictured on the
Stratford Landing site was not like the pattern you observed or simply that
your snake had a much fainter pattern ?
My understanding is that the pattern gets fainter, with time since last
shedding and as black snakes mature in years...
I have seen large black snakes (4+ feet) with a faint pattern... and small
ones (<3 feet) with a distinct pattern like the one in the photo.
Joel
would
Joel wrote:
> Are you saying that the pattern on the young black snake
> pictured on the Stratford Landing site was not like the
> pattern you observed or simply that your snake had a much
> fainter pattern ?
The pattern was about the same, but much fainter.
Hmm, this one wasn't over 3' in length, possibly slightly less. Would =
that
make it young? It certainly seemed young to me, slimmer, less robust, =
than
other black snakes we've encountered on the property. I almost wanted =
to
pick it up and pet it, but I, um, didn't let my emotions run away with =
me.
I kinda feel bad now that I set it in the woods, after reading how many
other woodland creatures prey on young black snakes; whereas, had I set =
it
in the veg garden it might have eaten the &*#^&$% voles that ate my
potatoes. On the other hand, two weeks or so ago, I had the beejesus =
scared
out of me when I reached for a weed in the bean bed and my hand landed =
on a
shed snakeskin. So a snake had been there, might still be in the area,
feasting on my pests; or else I moved the one predator too far away to =
help
me further.
Pat
