What kind of snake is this? Is it a garter snake? It’s about 4 feet long.
A friend of mine came to me today with this snake in her pillow case. I’m not going to keep her (I know it’s illegal, but besides that I don’t have anywhere to keep her), but I took some pictures and thought I’d ask for a positive identification.
She was found in central Kentucky, USA.
From the picture, it looks an awful lot like a copper head, but I’m not totally sure…do you have a better picture, Cranberry?
Edited to add a picture…does it look anything like this one?
At first guess I’d say it’s a Corn Snake(or Red Rat Snake if you prefer). If the belly scales are a checkerboard pattern that’s what it is. Otherwise, it’s most likely a variation on a Racer or some variety of Kingsnake.
It is, without a doubt, a colubrid…or constrictor. Rat Snakes, kingsnakes, Milksnakes, Boas…all in the same family. Non poisonous and very docile once they’ve been handled enough.
I don’t think it’s a Kingsnake, but now that I’m looking again, I’m thinking it’s probably not a Copperhead. But I did forget to say that it’s definitely not a Garter Snake.
Edit: I added another picture. I can see how she looks like a corn snake. She’s beautiful, really. I don’t think she’s a copper head. I’ve seen copperheads before, but you never know…
Also, I own a kingsnake (that’s whys she brought this snake to me), but my kingsnake is a California king, so it looks drastically different.
Here’s a cornsnake:
Well, her head looks like a corn snake. But I don’t trust myself enough. That’s why I’m asking. 
Sorry for disagreeing izzarina…I’m a nature freak and I can’t help it. One of the major differences between non-poisonous and poisonous snakes in America is the shape of the head. Venomous snakes have a triangular head and non-poisonous snakes have an oval head. Venoumous snakes usually have large pits or nostrils as well. The only exception is the Coral Snake which is often confused with certain species of Milksnakes and kingsnakes. It’s the only venomous snake in North America that is in the same family with cobras(which have rounded heads and small nostrils). Our other venomous snakes(rattlers, copperheads, and moccasins) are members of the viper family.
Sorry for being an insufferable knowitall,
Jason
Oh yeah…see in the first picture where the construction paper is wet? She “musked” me by spraying me. She doesn’t strike when I handle her, but she is super fast and tries to flee.
Whatever kind of snake she is, she is obviously old and knows what she’s doing. I feel bad that she allowed herself to be caught by my friend. She (my friend) found her outside her dorm and brought her to me because she knew the RAs would call somebody to kill her.
Cornsnake. Looks just like the one we used to have in our back yard in North Carolina.
Redwolf
Definitely not a copperhead. The ‘triangular’ shape of the head of a poisonous snake comes from the poison glands which make the jaws seem so large and bulky. The pic shows a nice streamlined nonpoisonous head.
Also, poisonous snakes have very bulky, muscular bodies to give power to the strike. Compare the original pic with the one of the copperhead.
Looked in my field guide and got a possible match–Pine snake.
Found a picture too–keep in mind that snakes become much darker as their skin ages;they are very dark and dull just prior to shedding their skins.
http://www.enature.com/flashcard/show_flash_card.asp?recordNumber=AR0113
Are you 100% sure? The reason I ask is because if you’re right I think I can legally keep her…
This is a wild snake, Cran. It’s supposed to be outdoors consuming rats on college campuses. It has not been brought up to eat frozen pinkies.
Why not do the right thing and let it go before it starves to death?
Why, because I’m an evil cold-hearted bastard, of course.
(Actually, I probably will. She won’t starve to death in one night, I promise.)
Put it in with your other snake. I’m sure they would both enjoy the company. At least one of them would, anyway.
I love my kingsnake too much. At under a year old, he’s about 10 times smaller than this beast.
I think that’s why he suggested it . . .
And that’s also why I would never do it.
Yes, that looks like a corn snake. Pantherophis (ex Elaphe) guttatus.
Here’s a pic of my subadult ‘Chaco Rattlesnake’ male.
