Posted by Kimberly England on October 14, 2006

Q: Hello,

I opened my front door this morning to find this little guy peering up at me. I got a couple of good shots of him. Can you please tell me what kind of snake he is, and if he is venomous? I live in Middle Tennessee and could not find a picture match of him at other websites!

Thank you!

Kim

<a href="photobucket.com target="_blank"><img src="i6.photobucket.com border="0" alt="Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting"></a>

<a href="photobucket.com target="_blank"><img src="i6.photobucket.com border="0" alt="Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting"></a>

Habitat: suburban/yard

State: Tennessee

Habitat: suburban/yard

A: Thanks for including the nice photos - really helps. Your snake is a young one I believe, based on the proportion of its head to its body. You had an Eastern Milk Snake, Lampropeltis triangulum, at your door. Color and patterns can vary with this species so one photo won't necessarily look like the next. In the past people believed these snakes actually milked their cows,hence the name, but their presence in barns and outbuildings was because there were many rodents there for them to feed on. This is a harmless snake that is especially good to have in your area - your rodent population will be lower as a result. Thanks for asking.

John Wiessinger ( October 15, 2006)

A: I just received word from our reptile expert that he thinks the snake I identified as a Milk Snake is actually an immature Northern Black Racer (Coluber constrictor). He really knows his snakes so I bow to his decision. Sorry to make a misidentification but this snake is not a harmful one either and it too will feed on rodents. Racers are especially alert, and very fast snakes but will defend themselves if cornered. I think we have the final word on your snake now.

John Wiessinger ( October 15, 2006)