Copperhead or Kingsnake?

[LazyJ_Arabians]

This copperhead "had" lived in my tractor shed for the past 4 years. He didn't really bother me cause he always stayed in a corner under some lumber I never messed with. Did an great job of keeping rodents, chickens, and the wife out of my shed. As soon as I walked in he'd scurry for his corner.

This spring he came out packing some attitude and alot more size. In this pic, I was provoking him with a stick and as you can tell he was more interested in my hand. He was no longer my shy lil friend and thought he owned the place.

[rejust]

looks like a hognose snake to me.
did it try rattling it's tail?
they do that to make leaves or whatever is around them rustle to mimic rattlesnakes.

[jimbrown]

I agree it does but hognose normal have blotches of color and not rings so I would vote copperhead.
[image][/image]

[Pat]

Jim, Something I think you ought to know about hognosed snakes. Besides putting on a good imitation of a viper with hissing, striking and such and then putting on the good entertainment of "dying" and going belly up..although they don;t have fangs and don't give you a hypo of venom they nevertheless irrespective of what misinformed sources you may read are VENOMOUS!

They put out venom inside their mouth and then if they break your skin you get the venom. I have a buddy who is a biologist and he knows a budding young herpetologist who got envenomated. He survived but doesn't want to repeat the experience. Not knowing (or at least not acting) any better he put his finger inside the snakes mouth and the snake chewed his finger. The symptoms are not fun. Luckily he recovered OK.

I like to see the hognose do its dead snake act too (not fond of the smell though) but am not so keen on handling them now. There are still lots of "informed" sources who list them as harmless to humans as of course they are if they don't bite you.

Pat