Snake Identification
The following characteristics can be used to identify a snake:
- Length
- Body Shape
- Head & Neck Shape
- Color & Pattern
- Scales Texture
- Eye Pupil Shape
- Scales Beneath the Tail
Length
The first thing you should do when trying to identify a snake is to identify the length of the snake. Most snakes in the United States grow 7 inches to 6 feet in length, but some can grow larger. The size of the snake varies upon what type species they are. Try to categorize the snake into three sizes, Small (ranges from 7″ to 18″), Medium (ranges from 18″ to 3′, and Large (ranges from 3′ and over).
Body Shape
Another thing you should when trying to identify a snake, is to consider what type of body shape the snake has. A snakes body changes from head to tail, so try to decide if the snake is Slender (appears skinny), Typical (appears medium sized), or Stout (thick and heavy bodied). Many times a snakes body shape may be hard to identify. It depends upon state of the snake when you find it. Since snakes swallow their meals whole, their body shape may change after eating, causing a slender snake to look much like a stout snake. A snakes body shape is very important to identify the species of that snake.
Head & Neck Shape
The head and neck shape is an important role of identifying a snake. A snake can be Medium Headed (appears slightly bigger than the neck), a Broad Headed (appears much larger than the neck), or it can appear to have No Neck (appears as the head and neck are the same width).
Snakes have either a Rounded Head (can appear completely rounded or slightly rounded) or a Triangular Head (appears to have a diamond/triangular shaped head). Many people think that venomous snakes have triangular heads, and the non-venomous snakes have rounded heads, this isn’t true. Though most venomous snakes have triagular heads some do not, and many non-venomous species have triagular head.
Color & Pattern
Snakes have many different colors and patterns. That’s why this is important to know the snakes color and patterns when identifying a snake. Here are the patterns of snakes: Linear Multicolored, Banded, Colored Head, Spotted, Striped, Blotched, or appear to have No Pattern?
Scale Texture
The scale texture on a snake can be Smooth (normally appears to be shiny and rounded) or Keeled (normally appears not to be shiny and diamond shaped). Some snakes keeled scales are weakly (normally appears slightly shiny and slightly diamond shaped).
Eye Pupil Shape
If you can see the snakes pupil without getting too close to the snake, distinguish if the snake has cat-like Vertical Pupils or Rounded Pupils. In United States you can determine if the snake is venomous by the eyes. The venomous snakes have elliptical pupils while the non-venomous snakes have rounded pupils, except for the venomous Coral Snake which has rounded pupils, and a few species of non-venomous snakes.
Scales Beneath the Tail
The scales beneath the tail of a snake is a great way to identify if the snake is venomous or non-venomous. The scales can either be a single row of scales, or it can be divided. All non-venomous snakes have a double row of scales, as the venomous have a single row of scales. The coral snakes exempts this rule, for it has a double row of scales like the non-venomous. The Rattlesnake has a single row of scales, but at the end of its tail it divides.
To identify a Snake that you saw. Click one of the links below. This is for snakes in Eastern United States
http://www.snakesandfrogs.com/scra/ident/protocol1.htm
http://www.snakesandfrogs.com/scra/ident/protocol2.htm
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April 13 2007 03:20 am
Mike Abercrombie on 04 Sep 2007 at 6:11 pm #
I found what is either a worm or snake that I can’t identify.
About eight inches long.
Diameter about 1/2 a pencil
Two black stripes running the length of the body
Head, from what I could tell is shaded like a hammerhead shark.
I would be extremely grateful for any assistance
Thanks,
Mike
JCBiggar on 06 Sep 2007 at 11:27 pm #
Hello Mike,
The creature you described does not sound like a snake. It does sound like an arrow headed flat worm. They vary in size and color, however the one distinguishing feature is the hammer head shaped head. Let me know if this looks like what you saw.
Hope this helped.
Marc Hyman on 23 Dec 2007 at 4:11 am #
Josh, just found your site for the first time and checked it out. Pretty Cool!! Great Job! Keep up the good work. I hope that you and your family will have a Blessed Christmas.
Keith Weathers on 05 Feb 2008 at 10:06 pm #
Hey man this site is awesome. Let me know if you ever want to go exploring for snakes sometime. Looking for snakes is so facinating and it is fun learning about them.
jen on 07 May 2008 at 1:41 am #
I found a red snake with black stripes around it in our lake. What does this sound like and should we be concerned.
Laura Scudde on 14 May 2008 at 7:02 pm #
I was moving a pile of bricks and discovered a small (8″long) black snake with a single narrow orange ring around its “neck.”
jeff holland on 28 Jun 2008 at 3:13 pm #
A snake came through my yard. my wife saw it I didnt. she said is was about 3 feet black with bright yellow belly almost flourent in color. Any idea what it was?
jcbiggar1 on 27 Aug 2008 at 2:59 pm #
Here is an image attachment of a Yellow Belly
Water Snake (Nerodia erythrogaster). Could this be what she saw?
http://sensationalserpents.com/?attachment_id=735 †
jcbiggar1 on 27 Aug 2008 at 3:10 pm #
Jen, I can’t be sure of the snake you described because I do not have a picture of it, but the snake you described sounds like a Banded Water Snake. These snakes are non-venomous, and of course, found near water. Again, this may not be the snake it was. Wish I could of helped more. Thanks for your time!
jcbiggar1 on 27 Aug 2008 at 4:01 pm #
Laura, There are 19 non-venomous snakes, and 3 venomous in Pennsylvania. The ones that kinda fit your description… Green/Brown w/Black Marking…. are listed below. Of course since I don’t have any pictures I can’t be sure of what snake it was, or if any of the snakes I have listed below are them. The First three snakes listed, are normally a plain light green color or greenish brown color, but occasionally have dark colored markings on them. The last snake listed is normally has a greyish color w/ black markings, but some times will have a greenish brown tent to it.
Smooth Greensnake (Opheodrys vernalis) - Non-Venomous
Eastern Smooth Earthsnake (Virginia valeriae) - Non-Venomous
Northern Rough Greensnake (Opheodrys aestivus) - Non-Venomous
Eastern Massasauga (Sistrurus catenatus) - Venomous