Diamond pattern snake-- I only have this second hand...

[Taltarzac725]

...but was talking about a black racer snake I saw at Lynnhaven Postal Center yesterday afternoon with another dog walker. He mentioned that there was a snake with diamonds on one of those utility lids near the Lynnhaven Postal Center last weekend.

There is only one snake as far as I know in Central Florida that has a diamond pattern:

Eastern Diamond-backed Rattlesnake (http://ufwildlife.ifas.ufl.edu/snakes/easterndiamondback.shtml)

These are supposedly found on golf courses but have never seen nor heard one the 17 years or so I have lived in Central Florida.

[samhass]

Tal, maybe it was a juvenile Rat Snake.

[Taltarzac725]

Tal, maybe it was a juvenile Rat Snake.

Could have been. Not sure why an Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake would hang out on a utility lid. Sunning itself?

Eastern Ratsnake (http://www.virginiaherpetologicalsociety.com/reptiles/snakes/eastern-ratsnake/blackrat_snake.htm)

[asianthree]

uck its still a snake but hope its not a rattler

[samhass]

Ratsnakes are wonderful snakes. Please, never harm any snake.

[paulandjean]

Ratsnakes are wonderful snakes. Please, never harm any snake.

Only if they harm me first.

[Trish Crocker]

Species Profile: Rat Snake (Elaphe obsoleta) | SREL Herpetology (http://srelherp.uga.edu/snakes/elaobs.htm)

Check out this site. I'm not afraid of snakes neccessarily but I would really like to be able to tell the good from the bad. Do all poisonous snakes have rattles?

[CaptJohn]

Do all poisonous snakes have rattles?

Just the rattlesnakes, hence the name.

[babbs455]

could be an eastern cornsnake..non venomous
they are known to slither into my greenhouse..

[bike42]

could be an eastern cornsnake..non venomous
they are known to slither into my greenhouse..

Yes! -- both corn snakes and rat snakes have diamond-like patterns when they are young. They are common, harmless and helpful (controlling rodents). If you get one in your garage or lanai, just open the door and gently direct them out with a broom or anything else with a long handle. They want to get away from you as quickly as possible.

[chuckinca]

And if they start rattling run like h*ll !

.

[Taltarzac725]

The man I was talking to at the Lynnhaven Postal Center was a fellow dog walker. I warned him about a small black racer I had just encountered. These are not much to worry about unless you corner it. Then the racer will get aggressive. He did not seem at all worried about black racers.

He mentioned that there had been a snake with a diamond pattern on a utility lid.

He told me that the only diamonds he likes seeing are those that show up in a row on a slot machine.

I assume he is the person who saw the snake on the utility lid. He seemed very reluctant to go anywhere he could not see ahead of him on the ground for 20 feet or so.

If I see a snake with any kind of diamond pattern, I think I'll keep about 20 feet away from it too no matter what it actually is.

[chuckinca]

I'll be ten feet behind you.

.

[happy employee]

We do, In fact have eastern diamondbacks in the area. You will sometimes see them in the early evening stretched out across a road gathering the heat from the blacktop. The adult eastern diamondback is usually very thick in the middle. sometimes as thick as a man's arm and can also be identified by the rattles. Sometimes the rattles can get broken off so NEVER ASSUME what kind of snake it is. If you don't know, LEAVE IT ALONE!!!!!

[CaptJohn]

And if they start rattling run like h*ll !

.

As much as I'd like to have a cute retort, it's better not to make any sudden movements. Just back away slowly in the same path you came on. I've come upon many of them in the woods (not in TV!). I've suffered more from chigger bites!

[bike42]

We do, In fact have eastern diamondbacks in the area. You will sometimes see them in the early evening stretched out across a road gathering the heat from the blacktop. The adult eastern diamondback is usually very thick in the middle. sometimes as thick as a man's arm and can also be identified by the rattles. Sometimes the rattles can get broken off so NEVER ASSUME what kind of snake it is. If you don't know, LEAVE IT ALONE!!!!!

I would agree with that -- if ANY snake as thick as my arm is on my property I will call Animal Control. So far all I've seen are little fellows about 1-2' long.

[billethkid]

here in TV you are more likely to be bitten by your neighbor's dog than by a poisonous snake.

Contrary to what is thought snakes are not naturally aggressive to humans. They will give us as wide a berth as we give them. There is nothing we have on our person they want. They can't eat you and they don't go around looking for really big things to bite.

Most snake mishaps are attributed to accidents as in stepping on one by accident....or doing something really stupid instead of safety first.

There is really no need to distinguish which ones are poisonous....it is much easier and much safer to adopt the practice assuming all the snakes you come across are poisonous.

But if you really are into needing to know....and really want to get close enough to tell the differences.....all non poisonous snakes have round black eyes.....poisonous have non round eyes and the pupils are slit like a cat's. The poisonous ones heads are some what triangular shaped due to the venom sacs on each side of the head.

Also please resist the urge to kill a snake. They do significantly more good for humans and rarely do us any harm.

We invaded their turf just like we did the alligators.

btk

[justjim]

Ratsnakes are wonderful snakes. Please, never harm any snake.

Are you kidding-----any snake? There are some very bad snakes out there. I was playing golf with a group at The Plantation at Leesburg a few years ago and one of our group was bitten by a pygmy rattlesnake. He spent the night in Leesburg Regional Hospital. Currently, Pythons in South Florida are threating to take over the Everglades. Snakes can be a problem. :throwtomatoes:

[happy employee]

But if you really are into needing to know....and really want to get close enough to tell the differences.....all non poisonous snakes have round black eyes.....poisonous have non round eyes and the pupils are slit like a cat's. The poisonous ones heads are some what triangular shaped due to the venom sacs on each side of the head.


####please be careful with information like this. There are always exceptions and here in Florida and in The Villages you may encounter a coral snake. These are highly venomous and are small little cute snakes with round eyes. If you see a small snake with red, yellow and black stripes and the red and yellow stripes are touching, do NOT try to pick it up.

These coral snakes look identical to the common king snake. The only difference is the red stripes touch black, not yellow. That small difference means the difference between life and death. DON'T MESS AROUND with snakes you are not familiar with!!!

[Taltarzac725]

Rhyme for Coral Snakes - Colors to Tell if a Snake is Poisonous Red Yellow Black Poem (http://www.wildlife-removal.com/snakecolorrhyme.html)

[senior citizen]

........

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

There are rattlesnakes in this area but sightings are rare. They like to avoid encounters with humans as much as possible. In fact, rattlesnakes have been found as far north as Great Blue Hill in Massachusetts. Again, very rare, but they are around.

[senior citizen]

.......

[zcaveman]

Obviously no one reads the Orlando Sentinel - Lake Section:

Rattlesnake Boas: Routine walk yields a rare sight: an Eastern diamondback rattlesnake - Orlando Sentinel (http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2012-09-09/news/os-lk-sherry-boas-091012-20120909_1_eastern-diamondback-diamondback-rattlesnake-ralph)

Z

[magpiemare]

My tenant was going from Sumter to Spanish Springs the other night in his golf cart and was told there was a rattler on the golf cart path just after crossing 466. As he came up the hill,(mind you it was nighttime), he heard the rattle and raced past as fast as he could in the golf cart. Rattle snakes are in the Villages. We do not know if it was an Eastern Diamondback or not!

[cgalloway6]

There are also diamond back water snakes which aren't poisonous but do have an attitude and will bite if you mess with them.

[2BNTV]

If you see apair of pants flying by you, don't grab them as I'll be in them. :jester: Lou Costello

Snakes!!!! I hate snakes!!!



Indiana Jones

[billethkid]

Species Profile: Rat Snake (Elaphe obsoleta) | SREL Herpetology (http://srelherp.uga.edu/snakes/elaobs.htm)

Check out this site. I'm not afraid of snakes neccessarily but I would really like to be able to tell the good from the bad. Do all poisonous snakes have rattles?


No they do not.
Non poisonous snakes have round black eyes. Poisonous snakes have teardrop shaped eyes with a black slit like a cat.
Poisonous snakes tend to have a tranglular shaped head....wide at the back and narrowing to the nose.

These are all very difficult to seeas we are all at least 5-6 feet at a minimum away from a very small target.

The best advice is to treat all snakes as if they were poisonous. Just leave them alone as they are not interested in humans.
Over time one gets to know the non poisonous like here in FL....there are very many helpful snakes.

btk

[buggyone]

One of the golf ambassadors told me recently that there have been quite a few pygmy rattlesnakes seen in the ornamental grasses on the golf courses and to be very careful about sticking your hand in it to get that stray golf ball. A pygmy rattlesnake is only about 18 inches long but is still quite venomous to people.

[mulligan]

They've also been seen wrapped around the pin in the holes at Pelican.

[CFrance]

They've also been seen wrapped around the pin in the holes at Pelican.

Whoa! I hope they don't play pickleball.