Small red, black, and white snake. (1 Viewer)

Jacamar

Well-known member

• Oct 1, 2004

• #1

This snake was in my yard this morning. Could someone tell me what it is?

 

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Charles Harper

Régisseur

• Oct 1, 2004

• #2

'Red touch yellow, kill a fellow-- red touch black, friend of Jack'. Not a coral snake, anyway-- a harmless milk snake of some species.

 

LAF

Registered Member

• Oct 1, 2004

• #3

Charles Harper said:

'Red touch yellow, kill a fellow-- red touch black, friend of Jack'. Not a coral snake, anyway-- a harmless milk snake of some species.

Click to expand...

Please be aware that this only holds true in the USA. From Mexico southward red to black can land you in a wooden box!

As for the snake, it looks to me like one of the Lampropeltis zonata subspecies (mountain kingsnakes) but it's very hard to tell from a small image. A geographic location of where it was taken should resolve the matter.

Regards, Lee.

 

LAF

Registered Member

• Oct 1, 2004

• #4

Actually, just seen that you live in Guyana! This is therefore one of three things...

A Lampropeltis trianglum (Milksnake, as mentioned above)
A Pliocercus .sp (Rear fanged but unpleasent more than dangerous)
A tropical coral snake, Micrurus,(Extremely dangerous, though generally not considered even remotely aggressive, i.e. don't pick it up and you'll be fine)

The head shape makes me supicious that it may well be the latter. If you have a picture where you can see the head more closely that will help a lot (if you have a picture of the head where you can see the scles on the side of the head I can be 100%).

Cheers, Lee.

 

Charles Harper

Régisseur

• Oct 1, 2004

• #5

Thanks, Lee-- my herpetology is a little rusty, and that mnemonic was all that came to mind when viewing the photo. Hope you didn't run right out and pick the critter up, Chris. . . Chris?. . . .

 

keith richter

Well-known member

• Feb 26, 2007

• #6

Coral Snake. They are not harmless.

 

MlZad

On-duty SnakeMan, 0-24h

• Feb 26, 2007

• #7

This is NOT a coral snake, since it was found in the US, so "Red on Black, you're OK Jack. Red on Yellow, kills a fellow" works here.
I checked out the head, also checked all the pics on this site (http://www.applegatereptiles.com/index.html) and it does look like a Milk Snake to me (Lampropeltis triangulum spp.). I'm 100% sure of that, I just don't know WHAT kind of Milk Snake (looks a bit like a Pueblan Milk Snake (Lampropeltis triangulum campbelli)?, but I'm not that sure about that because all of them can be very varied in colouring...).

 

Motmot

Eduardo Amengual

• Feb 28, 2007

• #8

MlZad said:

This is NOT a coral snake, since it was found in the US, so "Red on Black, you're OK Jack. Red on Yellow, kills a fellow" works here.
I checked out the head, also checked all the pics on this site (http://www.applegatereptiles.com/index.html) and it does look like a Milk Snake to me (Lampropeltis triangulum spp.). I'm 100% sure of that, I just don't know WHAT kind of Milk Snake (looks a bit like a Pueblan Milk Snake (Lampropeltis triangulum campbelli)?, but I'm not that sure about that because all of them can be very varied in colouring...).

Click to expand...

The picture was taken in Guyana. The poster Jacamar lived there for a few years I think.

 

MlZad

On-duty SnakeMan, 0-24h

• Feb 28, 2007

• #9

erm... didn't he say that the snake was in his yard that morning... scratch that...
I'm sorry, I didn't look at the post date, I thought it was a recent one...
My mistake. Sorry.

Then it probably IS a coral snake, meaning that it's bite would be very very dangerous, but if they are left alone, like other snakes, they'll just get out of your way, if they can...