Speaking of snakes....

[snagged in outlet 3]

Looks like a northern banded water snake.

[fishinwrench]

It's just far enough from the lake that I have doubts about it being a water snake.  Might be though I guess.  

All I know for certain is that it wasn't a copperhead or any other venomous snake.  But they aren't going to believe me unless I can find a pic/description that proves it.

[Flysmallie]

4 minutes ago, fishinwrench said:

 But they aren't going to believe me unless I can find a pic/description that proves it.

 

Probably doesn't matter, they would have killed it no matter what it was.

[fishinwrench]

7 minutes ago, Flysmallie said:

 

Probably doesn't matter, they would have killed it no matter what it was.

Good point.    I should start showing them hundreds of copperheads, cottonmouths, baby rattlesnakes, and poisonous lizards....  Maybe they'll sell their house and move.

[Al Agnew]

Wrench, show them pictures of copperheads, and point out that on copperheads, the dark blotches are hourglass-shaped, with the narrowest part of the blotch close to the middle of the back and the blotch widening as it goes down to the middle of the sides before fading out.  The snake in the picture has dark blotches that are widest in the middle of the back.

As for what it IS, if you're anywhere near water, it's almost certainly a northern water snake.  Look at the blotches again.  Toward the head, each one is thick at the top, thin as you go down the side, and then turn into a dark bar that goes on down.  But toward the middle and rear of the snake, the blotches stop about halfway down the side and the dark bar below them starts out in between the upper blotches.  This is very characteristic of northern water snakes.  As for other snakes it could be, diamondback water snakes don't have that difference in the blotches from front end to back end, their blotches are all like the back end ones.  Juvenile yellowbelly watersnake is possible.  Pattern is wrong for a prairie kingsnake, hognose, or rat snake (including juvenile black rat snake), even though all those have somewhat similar blotching.  There could be individual variations in any of them that would look more like this, but the most likely by far is the northern watersnake.

[JestersHK]

Looks like a water snake to me.  Take them down to Bennett Springs when it warms up, they were stacked up in there thick last year... On a rock bed by one of the handicap accesses there had to be close to 60 or 70 of them out sunning themselves.  Literally piles of them.

[Quillback]

Here's a northern water snake pic.  Sure looks like yours.

 

 

[jolicious]

[fishinwrench]

OK they are convinced that it was a water snake and not a copperhead, but just like Ronnie said they are still glad it's dead.      

[Flysmallie]

19 minutes ago, fishinwrench said:

OK they are convinced that it was a water snake and not a copperhead, but just like Ronnie said they are still glad it's dead.      

Some people just can't handle snakes. My wife is terrified of them. She don't even like to see a picture of them. (Kind of like you and monkeys)  If she ever sees even a garter snake in the yard we will have to burn the house to the ground and then move. It won't be pretty.