Snake Identification

[daveW]

***pictures at bottom of a dead snake-possibly considered gory to some so run away now if you’re sensitive.

***also, I don’t kill snakes or fear them-this one was killed and partially eaten by another animal.

I’m in Sumner County in a heavily wooded location.  I regularly see snakes on my property and know pretty well what most of them are.  That said, I’m definitely not an expert.

I found a partially eaten snake on my patio yesterday.  I’m seeking an expert opinion to help id it.  It was missing its head and its tail -hence the difficulty id’ing it for me.  The section I found is roughly the diameter of a regular sharpie and approx. 4 inches long.

 

edit:  I’m limited on picture size-I can text/email much clearer pictures if needed

thanks in advance!

Edited August 9, 2020 by daveW

[daveW]

Belly, if it helps...

[toby1304]

Top is kinda blurry but looks like a rattlesnake to me. I would chop it in half again to make sure it’s dead.

[Oh Shoot]

Pix much too small res for accurate id.

- OS

[peejman]

Hard to tell. DeKay's brown snake, maybe a king snake, baby water snake?  

https://www.tn.gov/twra/wildlife/reptiles/snakes.html

[quedz]

                               North Carolina? 

Edited August 9, 2020 by hughd

[E4 No More]

Ask your cat.

[daveW]

28 minutes ago, E4 No More said:

Ask your cat.

Thats actually pretty funny!  
 

I feel confident that I know what kind of snake it is but I was hoping for an expert to assure me-I’ve seen threads like this in the past so I feel like there might be some herpetology types around.

 

but yeah-if it is what I think it is, I’m definitely curious what ate him on my deck box!  

[peejman]

So what do you think it is?

As for what ate it, I'd guess a raptor or racoon. 

[daveW]

40 minutes ago, peejman said:

So what do you think it is?

As for what ate it, I'd guess a raptor or racoon. 

Yeah, sorry to be so vague...I’m just reluctant to be ‘that guy’ who misidentifies every snake as a Copperhead or Rattlesnake.

I’ve only seen a rattlesnake in the wild 2-3 times in a lot of years being outside.  Based on that very limited experience, rattlesnake is my guess.  I was hoping someone with more knowledge could say it’s a pine snake or garter snake or...

I see a lot of king snakes, northern water snakes, ring neck snakes and an occasional garter snake around my property.  I’m certain it’s not one of those.

 

[Lumber_Jack]

The color pattern definitely resembles that of Timber Rattlesnake but that's just from the limited view in the small picture.  It would be a relative small one though.

 

[peejman]

53 minutes ago, Lumber_Jack said:

The color pattern definitely resembles that of Timber Rattlesnake but that's just from the limited view in the small picture.  It would be a relative small one though.

 

I agree that the colors match but the pattern isn't well defined. I'd also be surprised to find one that something has killed and been eating on. I've only ever seen rattle snakes way up in the hills. 

[Lumber_Jack]

On 8/10/2020 at 10:44 AM, peejman said:

I agree that the colors match but the pattern isn't well defined. I'd also be surprised to find one that something has killed and been eating on. I've only ever seen rattle snakes way up in the hills. 

They're more prevalent than most believe.  Especially in that rolling karst, highland rim topography.  Could be something completely different for sure but its not out of the realm of possibility

Edited August 12, 2020 by Lumber_Jack

[E4 No More]

1 hour ago, peejman said:

I agree that the colors match but the pattern isn't well defined. I'd also be surprised to find one that something has killed and been eating on. I've only ever seen rattle snakes way up in the hills. 

I live in a valley that use to be corn fields and pastures. The next door neighbor found a big one curled up on his patio. They go where the food is, and there are a lot of mice in our fields when you let stuff grow. It's why I keep my land mowed. 

[daveW]

Here is a higher resolution picture if anyone is interested.

 

https://imgur.com/a/96ZsE46

[xsubsailor]

It's not a cottonmouth, copperhead or coral snake, so if it's (was) poisonous it could be one of these

Western Rattlesnake:

[E4 No More]

47 minutes ago, xsubsailor said:

It's not a cottonmouth, copperhead or coral snake, so if it's (was) poisonous it could be one of these

Western Rattlesnake:

Those aren't in Tennessee unless he took one helluva ride.

[E4 No More]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timber_rattlesnake

Baby timber rattlesnake.

[xsubsailor]

From the TWRA website:

The Pygmy Rattlesnake (also Pigmy) is the smallest, and one of the least known, venomous snakes in Tennessee.   One subspecies, Western Pygmy Rattlesnake (S. m. streckeri), occurs along the western Highland Rim from Stewart County to the southern border.

 

Status in Tennessee: Western Pygmy Rattlesnake is listed as Threatened by TWRA, and considered rare to very rare and imperiled by Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation.

Fun Facts:

• The tiny rattle sounds like the faint buzz of an insect and can usually be heard no farther than 3 feet.
• Pygmy Rattlesnakes are good swimmers.

 

 

[E4 No More]

7 minutes ago, xsubsailor said:

From the TWRA website:

The Pygmy Rattlesnake (also Pigmy) is the smallest, and one of the least known, venomous snakes in Tennessee.   One subspecies, Western Pygmy Rattlesnake (S. m. streckeri), occurs along the western Highland Rim from Stewart County to the southern border.

 

Status in Tennessee: Western Pygmy Rattlesnake is listed as Threatened by TWRA, and considered rare to very rare and imperiled by Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation.

Fun Facts:

• The tiny rattle sounds like the faint buzz of an insect and can usually be heard no farther than 3 feet.
• Pygmy Rattlesnakes are good swimmers.

 

Yes, but he's in Hendersonville. That's a pretty good distance from Stewart County.

[Handsome Rob]

"Oh yas.

That there's yer juvenile version of the Cotton headed Rattlemouth is what that is. I've seen em bite their own tail so they roll down hill like an hoop. They'll swim clear across a lake to climb in your boat off a branch & steal your wallet & boots, so they will! Rear up to 6 feet off the ground & bite a grown cow inna face. Killed it dead as a wedge before it even took a breath. They come in about 90 different patterns & sizes too! "

*every Southerner, when asked about literally any snake, ever.

 

[daveW]

46 minutes ago, E4 No More said:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timber_rattlesnake

Baby timber rattlesnake.

That’s my conclusion as well...I guess I’m wearing shoes in my yard from now on!

 

I’ve lived here for 6+ years and I’m surprised I haven’t seen one before...heavily wooded on a hillside facing south.  I think kingsnakes eat them and I have a lot of kingsnakes so maybe that’s why.

 

thanks all for the comments.

[peejman]

2 hours ago, daveW said:

That’s my conclusion as well...I guess I’m wearing shoes in my yard from now on!

 

I’ve lived here for 6+ years and I’m surprised I haven’t seen one before...heavily wooded on a hillside facing south.  I think kingsnakes eat them and I have a lot of kingsnakes so maybe that’s why.

 

thanks all for the comments.

Wooded, south facing slopes are the perfect place to find rattle snakes.  I've learned to pay attention to that when hiking in warm weather. 

[Sunfish]

He is a good'n forever more. My favorite species

[gregintenn]

Looks like a rattler to me.