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baldeagle wrote:All poisonous snakes have eyes like cats and triangular heads. No other snakes do. That's how you can tell if it's poisonous.

....and blunt tails...

Oldgringo wrote:

baldeagle wrote:All poisonous snakes have eyes like cats and triangular heads. No other snakes do. That's how you can tell if it's poisonous.

....and blunt tails...

EXCEPT Coral snakes.

Lived in Texas all my life & I've seen my share of rattlesnakes, water moccisins, copperheads, but I've never seen a Coral snake. But I hear they exist in East & Southeast Texas.

Another indicator is the back scales. Any pit viper, IIRC, will have "keeled" scales, with a rough ridge running down the middle of each scale. Now, some non-venomous snakes also have these scales, like the bullsnake / gopher snake, but if it's got smooth scales, is not a coral snake, and is in Texas, it's not dangerous.

A bullsnake is easy to identify. It looks like a prairie rattlesnake in pattern, and will flatten its head and buzz its tail when threatened to appear like a rattler, but it has a long, slender tail, and its head is normally much more oval-shaped than a rattler's. Thus, if it looks and acts like a rattler, including the buzzing, but has no rattles, it's probably harmless and you should let it be. They're good to have, as they eat the same stuff rattlers do and can help displace any rattlesnakes that might want to move in or already live nearby. Bullsnakes are usually easy enough to calm down, and can make good pets.

My first thought on seeing the OP's picture was "baby coachwhip." They're nasty-tempered, incredibly fast and agile, and totally harmless. Again, good snake to have around, for the same reasons as bullsnakes, although coachwhips rarely make good pets.

Take a look at this site. Scroll to the section describing "tail plates". That will help identify if a snake with damage to the head is venomous or not.
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/snake-id ... stics.html

joe817 wrote:

Oldgringo wrote:

baldeagle wrote:All poisonous snakes have eyes like cats and triangular heads. No other snakes do. That's how you can tell if it's poisonous.

....and blunt tails...

EXCEPT Coral snakes.

Lived in Texas all my life & I've seen my share of rattlesnakes, water moccisins, copperheads, but I've never seen a Coral snake. But I hear they exist in East & Southeast Texas.

I killed a coral snake in my back yard in Pearland last year.
One of my grandsons likes snakes so I did not want to risk him picking it up being small and colorful.

PBR wrote:What type of snake is this? Pretty sure it's poisonous by looking at belly scales.

[ Image ]

SNAKES!!! WHY does it always have to be SNAKES!?!?!?!?!?

There was a coral snake found in the atrium of the company where I worked.

We were right next to Armand Bayou Nature Center so there was plenty of wildlife near by.

We also had some copperheads in the shrubs and parking lot in back of the building.

They ended up putting moth balls around the perimeter. I think they worked as I don't remember hearing of any snakes after that.

PBR wrote:not really a grey more of brownish / copper color i would say -- thinking a baby copperhead but im not sure -- i know the belly scales are one long row, which heard that is one way to tell poisonous from non poisonous cause non poisonous has two rows but again im not sure


edited: just trying to identify it so in case one of the dogs ends up getting bite or little niece who plays out in the yard a lot

Actually you are backwards on that. Belly scales on all snakes are single. The poisonous snakes in Texas have a double row of scales on the tail ( behind the you know what). I'm talking Cottonmouths, Copperheads, and Rattlers. But if it has a triangular head it is probably one of the above three no matter the color. I've seen cottonmouth colors run the range from pitch black to albino.

cb1000rider wrote:What about in juvenile form? Still as easy to ID?

Yes.

AJSully421 wrote:

PBR wrote:

baldeagle wrote:All poisonous snakes have eyes like cats and triangular heads. No other snakes do. That's how you can tell if it's poisonous.

so the belly scale thing is not correct? -- i knew the cat eyes but cant tell has the head is smashed -- think one of the dogs stomped on it and smashed it so couldn't really see or tell from that

It is sooo much easier than that... Forget everything that you may have heard about how to ID venomous snakes by their scales, eyes, head shape, or anything else.

Venomous snakes native to Texas come in only four varieties:

1. Anything with a rattle is venomous and should be destroyed with an unrighteous zeal.
2. Cottonmouth / water moccasin - impossible to misidentify... short, stumpy, thick, dark brown or black colored irritated snake from the hottest regions of hades.
3. Copperhead - again, impossible to misidentify, nothing else looks like it with the tan / light brown body color with dark brown / copper splotches.
4. Coral Snake - Red touches yellow, kill the fellow, red touches black..... kill the fellow.

Anything else is harmless.

Kill them all!!!

FL450 wrote:

joe817 wrote:

Oldgringo wrote:

baldeagle wrote:All poisonous snakes have eyes like cats and triangular heads. No other snakes do. That's how you can tell if it's poisonous.

....and blunt tails...

EXCEPT Coral snakes.

Lived in Texas all my life & I've seen my share of rattlesnakes, water moccisins, copperheads, but I've never seen a Coral snake. But I hear they exist in East & Southeast Texas.

I killed a coral snake in my back yard in Pearland last year.
One of my grandsons likes snakes so I did not want to risk him picking it up being small and colorful.

They're around, you just don't see them very often. I friend sent me a picture of a 2+ footer from just west of Houston. That's BIG for a coral snake.

The Annoyed Man wrote:

PBR wrote:What type of snake is this? Pretty sure it's poisonous by looking at belly scales.

[ Image ]

SNAKES!!! WHY does it always have to be SNAKES!?!?!?!?!?

'Cuz this is Texas...

I think you can tell by the eyes. Round eyes non poisonous, slanted eyes poisonous, meaning the shape of the pupils. I could be wrong.

striker55 wrote:I think you can tell by the eyes. Round eyes non poisonous, slanted eyes poisonous, meaning the shape of the pupils. I could be wrong.

OMG Folks! I am not going to take time to look at the eyes that are less than 1/4 inch across to begin with! If it has a large triangular head, it's probably poisonous and can strike you from about 2/3 or more of it's body length. And yes some will chase you! I've seen it happen! The other is the Coral Snake. If it is red, yellow, and black it's either a Coral or a King Snake. if the red is bordered by yellow, it's a Coral Snake and very poisonous, but usually very docile. If it's a King Snake let it be, they (and Corals) eat other snakes. Red and black poison lack, red and yellow kill a fellow.

"Look at the eyes." "Look at the tail." To heck with that! Know your snakes or kill 'em all!

Lived in Texas all my life & I've seen my share of rattlesnakes, water moccisins, copperheads, but I've never seen a Coral snake. But I hear they exist in East & Southeast Texas.

I used to live in South Austin - had 3-4 coral snakes show up in my backyard one year.