Hannah?

[The Snark]

I spotted what looked like a Nephila web from the upstairs porch. Definitely need to go down and wade through the undergrowth and check it out. OH! Is that a Hannah? Got that beautiful late summer coloration but the head is too narrow. Giant Ptyas? But they have at least a little color variation. Hrrrm.

Better go down and check. Silently opening the window and getting the picture framed it became aware of me though I was completely behind it and 10 feet away. It turned it's head slightly to watch me. Yup. You turkeybutt! I wanted to go check out a spider web!

Now we have to wait a couple of weeks to go out in the yard and with things overgrown due caution is advised. It's my gut feeling this is the snorker that tagged the cat earlier this year.

 

[The Snark]

Incidentally, it was just pointed out to me the interesting way Hannah changes coloration. During the cool season they are a dusty black to absorb heat, then during the summer it becomes lighter to reflect heat during the day. (Hannahs run on a 24/7 schedule, neither predominantly nocturnal or diurnal). If you look at the stern section in the images you can see the periphery of the scales retain the cold weather color while the center lightens to that tan-olive.
If you look closely at the mid section in the upper image you can just make out a few whitish dots on the lower side. This is all that is visible of it's white circumferential bands when wearing it's sunbathing outfit.

 

[SonsofArachne]

Rat Snake - probably this species https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ptyas_korros - https://bangkokherps.wordpress.com/2011/05/01/indo-chinese-rat-snake/

You were correct when you said the head is too narrow to be a king cobra

 

[Mordax8393]

ptyas for sure

 

[The Snark]

Going over the full sized images then grabbing the tape measure and examining that area and back and forth and back and forth:
Give or take, 250 cm in length. Up at the very top of Koros. Head is too narrow as is the nose. But the supraocular scale is pronounced and hooded and the eye is smaller than a typical ptyas. Ptyas has a uniform color from nose to the last third of it's body where it might have darker bands. Hannah typically retains the dark olive color on the head and first few cm of the body.]

I'm driving myself CRAZY! Play around with the image. Contrast, brightness. Whitepoint. Invert. AHA! Pointy nose. Ptyas for sure.

Now to check on that spider web.

Edit: WOW. Outermost web of the orb at the widest, 31 inches! But it looks abandoned.

 

[The Snark]

Addendumb: Just went to check on the T holes. Reverse gears as I noticed I was being watched by somebody with hood half expanded. So what have you people done, divide up the yard? Ptyas by the house, cobraville out in the yard. Let's keep it that way. Started back in for the camera but it nosed down into the river and vanished in the hyacinths.

I can't help but wonder, won't Hannah be nosing in the holes in the yard looking for snakes?

 

[SonsofArachne]

I can't help but wonder, won't Hannah be nosing in the holes in the yard looking for snakes?

That wouldn't be surprising, if there's one in your neighborhood.

 

[The Snark]

Well I went and examined our property and the places to either side very thoroughly. No Ptyas, no Hannah, but spotted a cute little Sunbeam that boogied before I could get the camera. All the T holes have had recent housekeeping with BHOA having kicked up a towering pile of dirt higher than the entrance to it's hole. Hannah considers the river just another highway so it could be anywhere within a mile of here. I'm not up to speed on the preferred habitat of the Ptyas. And the Neph web is definitely abandoned. Pretty late in the year for them.