Wild black snake sighted

Just saw this guy next to my chicken coop. Thought I'd snap a couple of pics and share. Thankfully my pen is snake proof so no worries there.
Also he is not dead even if he looks it. He just froze when he saw me hoping I wouldn't notice him. Five minutes later I went back and he was nowhere in sight.
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It's hard for a black rat snake to resist the sweet smell of chickens & their eggs. :cool: It's like a fast food establishment for us, lol.

It's beautiful!

Kinda looks like he's hunting that hole.

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Originally Posted by KMG

It's beautiful!

Kinda looks like he's hunting that hole.

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Maybe he's hoping to tunnel his way in? :D

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Originally Posted by KMG

It's beautiful!

Kinda looks like he's hunting that hole.

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Could be we do have some mice also.


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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

Maybe he's hoping to tunnel his way in? :D

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Maybe lol


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Were you not tempted to keep it .. looked gorgeous ?


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Originally Posted by Zincubus

Were you not tempted to keep it .. looked gorgeous ?


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I hope not! Wild snakes, & especially adults, do not belong in captivity. Look, photograph, admire, & if you have to own one, please find a captive-bred one.

You interrupted him in mid-slither, lol.

I am in the UK. Only 3 small snakes here :(
My little brother is in the USA though, he sometimes has rat snakes in his barn. I am so jealous of you guys for that.
What fun you must have

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Originally Posted by Ascended

I am in the UK. Only 3 small snakes here :(
My little brother is in the USA though, he sometimes has rat snakes in his barn. I am so jealous of you guys for that.
What fun you must have

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Yup! :D Though not everyone appreciates their presence. I'm actually a keeper of mostly rat snakes- I've had a number of BPs in the past but it's been years. I prefer rat snakes for their activity level, curiosity & ease of care. But let's face it, there's no such thing as an awful snake anyway, lol. :snake:

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Originally Posted by Zincubus

Were you not tempted to keep it .. looked gorgeous ?


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They are common here so I'll probably see it again or another one. They are beautiful snakes and the babies are adorable but unfortunately it's not legal to keep wild caught natives here.


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Originally Posted by Spicey

You interrupted him in mid-slither, lol.

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I did lol he looked so funny and I was tempted to pic him up but I just left him be to think I did not see him lol. We are like a T-rex to them. "Just don't move and it can't see you" lol


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Originally Posted by Ascended

I am in the UK. Only 3 small snakes here :(
My little brother is in the USA though, he sometimes has rat snakes in his barn. I am so jealous of you guys for that.
What fun you must have

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That's a bit sad :(
Yeah we have lots here. I have seen milk snakes, corn snakes, garter snakes, ring neck, copper heads, Eastern diamond back rattle snakes, brown rat snakes, back rat snakes, blue racers, water snakes, and one I remember from my childhood that I'd sware was a California king snake (black and white banded)


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Not awful snakes in the UK, true, some are lovely. but All 3 snakes in the UK are protected under The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 Schedule 5.
1, is legal to keep,the second is mildly poisonous and the next the grass snake will deficiate on you if handled.
I just wish I had the multiple native selection america has. I just have 3 and even then those are legislated against here. Not impossible but hard to get permition.

And I used to specialise in rat snakes, so cool and varied. you people are so lucky.

However, I know there are moves against keeping snakes now in the US too. Keep fighting it.

Hi Daniel. That's my brothers name too. and yes its sad. If I didnt have children and ties here I would emigrate to america like my little brother did. Not just for snakes.
I have had and bread many milk snakes, kings and all the rest too. Love them. You have such variaty.
And I wont even mention the largest black snake with tears on its face name. :( you know what I mean. protected and elusive in collections even in the USA. No chance here

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

Yup! :D Though not everyone appreciates their presence. I'm actually a keeper of mostly rat snakes- I've had a number of BPs in the past but it's been years. I prefer rat snakes for their activity level, curiosity & ease of care. But let's face it, there's no such thing as an awful snake anyway, lol. :snake:

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That's cool, I've considered getting another kind of snake and have not decided on what I want yet. Been looking at garters and milk snakes.


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ascended

Not awful snakes in the UK, true, some are lovely. but All 3 snakes in the UK are protected under The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 Schedule 5.
1, is legal to keep,the second is mildly poisonous and the next the grass snake will deficiate on you if handled.
I just wish I had the multiple native selection america has. I just have 3 and even then those are legislated against here. Not impossible but hard to get permition.

And I used to specialise in rat snakes, so cool and varied. you people are so lucky.

However, I know there are moves against keeping snakes now in the US too. Keep fighting it.

Hi Daniel. That's my brothers name too. and yes its sad. If I didnt have children and ties here I would emigrate to america like my little brother did. Not just for snakes.
I have had and bread many milk snakes, kings and all the rest too. Love them. You have such variaty.
And I wont even mention the largest black snake with tears on its face name. :( you know what I mean. protected and elusive in collections even in the USA. No chance here

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Yeah I don't know a lot about it but I've seen people talk about it. We do have a few problems but overkill is the name of the legislation game.


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Yea its just people who don't understand making trouble regarding keeping snakes. It varies from state to state. We have the same problem here, but mostly with our indigenous snakes.
I dont know much about it either, but check the forums on this site regarding that. There are many posts. https://ball-pythons.net/forums/foru...mp-Legislation

What other snakes have you seen and what state are you in?

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Originally Posted by Ascended

Yea its just people who don't understand making trouble regarding keeping snakes. It varies from state to state. We have the same problem here, but mostly with our indigenous snakes.
I dont know much about it either, but check the forums on this site regarding that. There are many posts. https://ball-pythons.net/forums/foru...mp-Legislation

What other snakes have you seen and what state are you in?

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I live in Eastern TN in the Appalachian mountains.
For venomous:
Cottonmouths, Easter diamond back rattle snake, copperheads

The rest:
Northern black racer, black rat snake, ring necked snakes, red corn snake, eastern king snake, black king snake, eastern milk snake, northern water snake, eastern garter snake, brown rat snake? (I couldn’t find it on native snake list but I’ve caught a 60-70 inch brown snake in the wood before and was told it’s a brown rat snake)
Funny that I’ve never seen a temper rattlesnake or pigmy rattlesnake that are listed but have seen several Eastern diamond back that are not.


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No wonder you made this thread, with that list its well worth going wild herping.
I checked the internet. Looks like a wonderful landscape too.

We have a very nice range of animal life here. My only complaint about this area is that for the longest time the seasons can’t make up their mind whether it is going to be hot or cold. For example last week the temperature had gotten into the 80s and for the last couple of days we’ve had frost every morning. Yesterday we actually had a little bit of sleet mixed in the rain. We really don’t have a spring and fall we just have summer and winter fighting for dominance lol


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LOL, same here in the UK. Its supposed to be late spring/summer but had to scrape ice of my car this morning, It can be hot this time of year as it was a few weeks ago, or not. We have two seasons too. Summer and winter. the other two cant make up their mind.
it seems to be a recent thing though. the poor animals done know what to do.

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Originally Posted by Daniel_Effler

I live in Eastern TN in the Appalachian mountains.
... brown rat snake? (I couldn’t find it on native snake list but I’ve caught a 60-70 inch brown snake in the wood before and was told it’s a brown rat snake)...

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The only rat snake that I can think of that's brown (actually patterned with brown & grey) is a Great Plains rat snake, aka Pantherophis emoryi, aka Emory's rat snake, but I don't think it's range covers your area. :confusd: I wonder what you've seen? You might ask your local (state) dept. of Fish & Game. I suspect it was a black rat snake with enough red undertones (some have none & others have a lot of red) so that it appeared brown rather than black? Because the size you describe doesn't fit an Emory's rat snake either- they're smaller.

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

The only rat snake that I can think of that's brown (actually patterned with brown & grey) is a Great Plains rat snake, aka Pantherophis emoryi, aka Emory's rat snake, but I don't think it's range covers your area. :confusd: I wonder what you've seen? You might ask your local (state) dept. of Fish & Game. I suspect it was a black rat snake with enough red undertones (some have none & others have a lot of red) so that it appeared brown rather than black? Because the size you describe doesn't fit an Emory's rat snake either- they're smaller.

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I’m remembering from my childhood so it’s possible I am remembering it bigger than it was. In my memory it was longer than I was tall but I was around 10 years old when I caught it so it’s been a long time.


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Originally Posted by Daniel_Effler

I’m remembering from my childhood so it’s possible I am remembering it bigger than it was. In my memory it was longer than I was tall but I was around 10 years old when I caught it so it’s been a long time.


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Assuming you lived in the same area back then, there are no "brown rat snakes"- but as I said, if it wasn't patterned (see Great Plains-Emory's rat snake), I've seen at least one refer to a black rat snake as "brown"- maybe because we don't all see colors the same way, or because it had red undertones that in sunlight made it look more brown than black? It's like I have 2 black dogs, but in bright sunlight you can see that one has tan hairs mixed in her coat, making her appear to be a very dark brown color, especially when she stands next to the other dog who is pure black. Your rat snake still seems likely to be a "black" rat snake, IMO.