1 Topic by Jodie McNames

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Topic: Help identifying snake

On November 30, my cat brought in a very tiny snake that I have so far been unable to identify.  I have gone through the gallery and descriptions with no luck as the snake seems to resemble multiple different snakes.  It was about 6 inches long with a very visible rust colored stripe on the top running the entire length of the snake.  It had a very bright salmon/pink belly with no distinguishable  pattern on sides, but did have what appears to be yellow or cream spots on a dark colored body that is a grayish brown.  We did kill the snake because we figured it was suffering from injuries from the cat and the not too gentle removal from our house when it was located a few feet from our 7 month baby which is where the cat dropped it.  If anyone has any ideas as to what this snake was, or can point me in the right direction I would appreciate the help.  Thank you!

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2 Reply by Mulebrother

  • Mulebrother
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  • From: A bunker near Mountainburg
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Re: Help identifying snake

Jodie

Thanks for your question.  Without a picture, I doubt we can say with 100% certainty...but I must say, your description is all over the map!   For non-snake folks, its pretty common to have a hard time describing the snake in question, but a couple of things you mention narrow the choices. 
I'm assuming it did NOT have rattles, or you would have mentioned it...the only smallish snake with a distinct rusty stripe down its back is a pigmy rattlesnake...and I doubt it was one of them.
My somewhat educated guess on this is a Redbelly snake...its smallish, highly variable, can have a stripe down its back, but its probably the only one with a bright salmon/pink belly.  Have a look at all the pics in the gallery for the redbelly snake...some are quite patterned, while others dont have much markings at all..but they all have that pink-ish belly. And, thats a notorious species for a cat to catch and bring in...they are fairly common in flower beds/around your house...completely harmless.

Cheers,
Brad

Government is not the solution Government is the PROBLEM...Ronald Reagan

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3 Reply by mikemike

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Re: Help identifying snake

While reading it, redbelly was my first guess as well, as they can be striped, kind of 'checkered,' patternless, or a number of other variants. They can be red, brown, grey, yellowish, orange, or any combination as well. Their one constant is the red/pinkish belly.

check out this gallery and see if any of them resemble what you're looking for:

http://herpsofarkansas.com/Snake/Storer … tomaculata

Michael Spencer 
http://www.michaelrayspencer.com
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mikemike's Website

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4 Reply by Eric East

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Re: Help identifying snake

I agree with Brad and Mike

Ever wonder why conservatives are called the right and liberals are called the left?

Ecclesiates 10:2

Eric East's Website

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5 Reply by Jodie McNames

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Re: Help identifying snake

Thank you for your help.  I did assume it was a red belly snake, but the rust stripe down it's back was very confusing and none of the pictures in the gallery matched with the exception of the belly.  I really thought identifying the snake would be easier so I didn't take a picture.

Quote Post 5