Can anybody please identify this snake? The head was hidden but I got a photo of the tail. Is this a rattlesnake? Or is it a gopher snake? Thank you!
Update: Based on comments and descriptions here and online, this is a harmless gopher snake. Thank you everybody!
Update: Here’s the head:
could be wrong (this is my standard disclaimer), but it doesn’t look like a venomous snake to me. Vipers and other venemous snakes have a more triangular shaped head…also non-venomous have the round eyes as opposed to the one with the slits…here’s a good example.
looks like a corn snake to me
just did a search and it appears to be a corn snake. a finer search revealed it may be a slowinski’s corn snake
or a great plains rat snake.
they can interbreed and make hybrids so i think it is just a harmless rodent eating snake no need to kill it
Corn snakes are supposed to live in the southeastern and central United States, not in California. Maybe it’s a gopher snake?
My guess would be gopher snake.
Doesn’t look like any rattle snake tail that I’ve seen.
I know nothing about snakes though.
What I was taught was that all venomous snakes in the US are from the the pit viper family and have triangular heads. (With the exception of the coral snake which is shy, rare, and easily identifiable.). Just quick rule of thumb if you see the head to tell whether it is poisonous or not.
From what I’ve seen online, it looks like a gopher snake, non-poisonous. The round eyes and somewhat pointy head is a good sign.
https://www.desertusa.com/reptiles/gopher-snake.html
We’ve seen king and rat snakes, along with blue racers around here. My wife wants to kill them all, but I say leave 'em be, they help control the rodents.
My bro-in-law tho, recently killed about a 40in timber rattler over at their place. It was coiled up under the bush hog (mower) when he was about to hook it up! Very lucky to not got bit. He had to smash it with a fence post.
for the coral snake which we have down here, we always remember the rhyme black touches yellow you’re a dead fellow…
It’s a rat snake for sure I’m just not sure what species
Standard gopher snake. Not a rat snake, not a corn snake, not a rattle snake.
Red touches yellow.
looks like a gopher snake, they can be aggressive even if nonvenomous. They are a very common snake in Utah
you’re right…I’ve always had trouble with that rhyme…
I’d go into cardiac arrest if I see one like this in my garden!
Red touches black your safe jack but if red touches yellow your a dead fellow. See this link and the picture below from there Rhyme for Coral Snakes - Colors to Tell if a Snake is Poisonous Red Yellow Black Poem
I think I read they’ve stopped making the anti-venin for coral snakes as so few people get bitten by them. They’re pretty shy and non-confrontational so they will try to avoid confrontation unless you are unlucky enough to actually step on one or back it into a corner.
So you probably wont ever see a coral snake, let alone get bitten by one. But if you do…good luck.
Got a beauty here, too shy to get a good picture unfortunately. Corn snake? Milk snake? I think both are in the area but I’ve never seen either.
Looks like a milk snake (non-poisonous) from what I’ve seen online. They’re common in KY, too, but I’ve never seen one, just black racers, king and rat snakes, and a 3ft timber rattler that my bro in law killed. Yikes.
Yes they stopped making Coral snake anti-venin years ago. Not enough was used for it to be profitable for the pharmaceutical companies to make it. I’m not sure if they still do or if there is any left, but they kept extending the expiration date of the anti-venin that was left in stock.
