Posted by Casey McCoun on July 17, 2006

Q: What a wonderful site! Thanks!! I have 2 questions. Here's the first - at the golf course swimming pool (Lake Charles, LA) today we heard a SPLAT coming from our covered area. When we looked we saw where a long black snake fell from either the ceiling, gutter or wall it was trying to climb. It then crawled up the tables/chairs and ended up stopping in the space between the water fountain and the wall. It was approx 4 feet, skinny, white or light yellow belly, light markings on the back - from a distance it looked black but upclose you could see markings. Everyeone said it was a moccasin, but I've always found them to be shorter, fatter and coiled up with their mouth open. What stood out to me about this one was that I thought it was skinny and that the head was too small for a moccassin of that size. Do you have an opinion? Second question, do you think the snake was simply climbing and fell or should we be worried about where it came from? Like are there babies up there or a place where other snakes might like to hide? Thanks so much!!

Habitat: suburban/yard

State: Louisiana

Habitat: suburban/yard

A: First off, thank you so much for an excellent description. Making an identification of an animal without seeing it is almost always difficult to do but your description was especially helpful! Now let's see if I can help out.

I agree with your assessment that Moccasins are quite thick bodied (proportionately) and have a head that is also quite wide. From the appearance of the snake and its behavior, I'm guessing you saw a Gray Rat Snake (Elaphe obsoleta spiloides)which is a subspecies of the Black Rat Snake. These snakes are especially good climbers and actively feed on rats and mice but are harmless to people and pets.

Your snake was probably just climbing to get to some kind of hiding place and was not caring for young - snakes don't care for their young. I think your snake just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Although I realize many people freak out with snakes, this guy can be a real ally for you by keeping the rodent population down. Best of luck and thanks for asking.

John Wiessinger ( July 18, 2006)