What kind of snake is grey and black in the north?
can you tell me what kind of snake is in my yard?
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Most likely it’s a garter snake. See the photo of the “young” one to determine if this is what you’re seeing. When they’re young, they often appear gray/black…not brown and white as the adults appear.
no not at all close.
not colorfull at all.
it was black and grey kinda ran together ,faded in as sorts.
Baby garters have little color. But I’ll keep looking for you. Where did you see it? Under a bush or at a tree line?
How large was the snake (approx lenth) and was it slender or chunky?
about 2 to 3 feet long,crawling into my basement.
This site might help you to figure it out, better.
looks very close to the rat snake ,i looked that one up too.
but it blended in color greyish and black.
no stripes or markings.
i have been on this site.
can not find this snake.
it is creeping me out.
i have not seen one of these before.
If it’s slender, I’m guessing it’s young. Do you have an animal control entity you might want to call to check your basement for you?
I hit enter before adding, that I can’t imagine one in your yard unless there’s water around, though.
no there was no markings ,just plain
i thought i had seen every snake there is around here till now.
we actually caught it and released it but one got away in the basement.
my hubby said that one was bigger with the same color but green added .no stripes eather like the garter.
With green? That sounds like a grass snake to me.
are they all green or do they have greyish and black combined.
ok the grass snake looks the closest,but not the ring neck one.
thats about the closet i can find but still not the same.
Not all snakes in all areas will look like those in the pictures. I’m guessing if you had two, either they’re young ‘uns, or they’re making young ‘uns. So, we should solve this before you see more ;)
yes i read this was there time to make young.
it,s a country house so i understand there will be rodents and such.
i also have a chip munk problem .
you would think they would chase each other off.
Or eat each other…the chipmunks in my yard kill the mice, so I keep ‘em around ;)
But, the snakes would top ‘em all.
You might want to see if your state’s DNR site has a “snake” page. Mass has this page
that is really close now.
but no yellow unless the one that got away was yellow not green.
i did not see it.
what are they racers?
i looked up black racers.are they dangerous?
@earthangel
No black racers are very fast though;hence the name. What state do you live in?
Probably a black rat snake and when they are younger they often have more grey. Or perhaps an Eastern Milk Snake which have many variations in color from grey to brown. They look like dead leaves. Both are harmless and very beneficial being that they eat rodents. I love snakes. :)
I’m an Ohioan too, and love black rat snakes. I had an ex who’s family would frequently kill them; they didn’t like me much, especially after I told them they were assholes.
Anyway!
I urge you to be extremely cautious. There is a good chance that this snake is absolutely harmless, but there is always a chance that it isn’t. Without a picture or anything to more conclusive to go by, any sort of guesses we can make as to the species of this snake are just that – guesses. That said, I would try to contact a professional to remove it (humanely, of course, assuming you even want to try and have it removed) unless you can determine with 100% certainty that the snake is not life threatening. Even then, be careful. They can have nasty bites.
The incidents of a Timber rattler in your house is extremely rare. The venomous snakes that you will encounter will have the following distinct characteristics and are very rare as opposed to non venomous. There are about three And keep in mind many of the snakes seem similar and this is a natural adaptation to camouflage and to mimic their poisonous counterparts.
well i do not believe it,s any of the 3 poision ones,.
and it does not look like the black rat or milk snake.
does any one know if the grass snake is this color?
and is it possible for a snake to take on it,s surrounding colors.
Beautiful sleek snake-Blue racer actually a black racer color variant
it looks like the racer to me we did catch one it was trapped against the house in a window cover.
No doubt he was catching the early spring rays and warming his cold blood.
Racers are beautiful and very sleek tight scales. Look like they’d make nice handbags or something(God forbid). Many snakes also release musk as a defensive measure when they are caught too. A little smelly but harmless.:)
yes i agree very smooth looking exactly dead on.
no smell thank goodness.
he only took it across the street and released it.
my luck it will return .
@earthangel I’m thinking he/she will return because of eggs ;) I still think you’ve got a breeding situation in your yard. It is that time of the year. And, the fact that you have seen two in one day drives that point home.
@SpatzieLover
It’s rare that a snake lays eggs in a space such as a windowsill where they might be disturbed. It’s usually in a rotting log with heat from decomposition that incubates eggs or a sunny leaf pile off the beaten path. And snakes have no maternal inclination other than some of the giants like pythons who will hang around the egg brood. Most snakes lay eggs and the young are on their own from birth. And not all snakes lay eggs. Many give birth to live young but the racer is not one of them.
So unless there’s a nice reason such as prey around the house, she probably won’t return even if she does lay eggs.
Also they lay eggs in early summer.
@SeventhSense I have had snakes, at two home locations lay eggs RIGHT by my home, under bushes, or tall “snow on the mountain” & in a basement window well…also, I believe they are breeding right about NOW
@SpatzieLover
Well I am surprised, but I guess it depends on the locale and proximity to sunlight and their general fear of threat. Garter snakes are some of the hardiest and earliest to emerge and these give birth to live young.
The snake in question has a wide breeding window from April to July.
It’s a wide window with breeding and laying egs but most occurs in summer because of the need for consistent warm temperatures. They need heat from sun to live unlike mammals whereas internal temperature is a constant, especially for incubation. A snake’s eggs are incubating outside of the body. Some snakes will emerge early but go back into a climate controlled burrow. It’s still quite cold for a snake.
As per
Ohio Department of Natural Resources
Habitat and Habits
The blue racer occurs in western Ohio. A diagonal line drawn across the state from Hamilton County to Ashtabula County would roughly mark the area where the populations of the black and blue racer overlap.
Although racers are among the swiftest and most graceful of all our snakes, their top speed is only 8 to 10 miles and hour. They are extremely nervous and become very aggressive when an attempt is made to capture them. They strike viciously and can inflict a painful bite with their small, but numerous teeth. When alarmed, they rapidly vibrate the tip of their tail, as do many other species of snakes.
Reproduction and Care of the Young
Females lay their eggs in hidden nests, such as a rotted stump or log, and old mammal burrow, or a nest cavity in the leaf litter or sand. The eggs usually hatch in August or early September.
I should never have come here. Too many snakes. Bad move, asmo, bad move.
ah, fellow snake lovers. I knew Evelyn had a purpose for me at Fluther. :D
The snakes that release musk for defense are usually water species. Garter snakes are a member of the water snake family, and can live in moist boggy places, not just water. Sometiemes, even the heavy dew in a weedy field is enough for them. They don’t have to have water in abundance, they just prefer it.
Venomous snakes are usually pretty shy about humans; they don’t go looking for us, usually we invade their territory without knowing it. At least the ones here in the Midwest. A Blue (or Black) Racer is one of the most beautiful creatures on the planet.
Okay, I’m going to stop now. I’m not helping the question, and I should stop gushing about snakes. I just love the little buggers so much. :-)
ok found another snake today ,this one another kind i believe my yard is a breeding ground for alot of diferant kind od snakes.
does anyone know how to chase them out of my yard.
any kind of stuff to put out in the yard or anything?
Do you have a lot of leaf debris? Snake type grasses around your home?
Be One with the snakes….ommmm
@SeventhSense Lurve!
I love wildlife. I don’t currently have a snake in my yard/garden. But have learned to “Let live” from my past experiences.
After their done breeding, they may leave your yard, earthangel…if not…after they lay eggs and hatch them, they probably won’t stick around.
;) So it could be a month or 6mos. ;)
there are alot of babies we are catching and releashing.
they hatched already i guess.
i have not alot of problems with them being in my yard.
it,s that there trying to get into my basement window.
Can you fill the well(if there is one) with steel wool pads?
Can you seal the window shut with rope caulk for now?
what would steel wool pads do?just asking.
it,s a old house they are finding any way in they can.
we are working on sealing up everything but everytime we get to a new spot theres a few more snakes.yuck.sorry they creep me out alot.
i went fishing once in the south and one tried to crawl up my line so i moved several feet away and it followed me every where i went .
so i gave up then it tried to come up over the bank after me.
and they say snakes are not smart.
i beg to differ.
After having kept many species of reptile and amphibian over the years, I can tell you that many people underestimate them in both intelligence and personality. Snakes might not be “smart” in the same way that we humans are, but they are definitely capable of being very curious and crafty.
well hello again,
you are on my other question.
yes i found them to be very smart.
and to my other question i not so much saying catholics are not christians as much as i was trying to say the way they practice there faith
Hahah, completely different question my friend. I find it’s generally not best to pollute one question with another’s answers. ;)
But for the record, I understand that was the point you were trying to make.
As for snake removal, there honestly isn’t too much you can do. You can move them, but they could (and probably would) very easily find their way back to your yard and house. All you can really do is try to block any possible entry ways into your house the best you can and hope it works.
thank you,we have took many away today.i just did not want to kill them.
so i quess i can be prepared to see them back then.
@earthangel
LOL. It’s like you have a plague of snakes over there!
I’ve heard blood meal is a deterrent, but I don’t understand why. For squirrels maybe, but not sure why it would deter snakes. I’d love it if my yard was overrun with snakes, I’d be in heaven! Get a small dog, like a Jack Russell, or any terrier, they will deter the snakes pretty rapidly. Snakes won’t stay where they are threatened.
Steel wool will keep them from trying to burrow into the cracks and openings in your house, walls, etc. Snakes have very sensitive snouts and the steel wool is scratchy and sharp.
ever figure this out? I think I have seen the snake you are talking about. I have seen several grey and black camoflauge like snakes also in ohio around my parents place and have not been able to figure out what it is. Have seen a huge black snake and several garters that I could identify but never this particular one. Wish I would have gotten a picture. Almost stepped on one the other day.
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