Snake ID

[Paladin]

Pretty docile snake found in Ocotillo. Some kind of shovel nose? Im not a herper but I had a feeling it was far from dangerous.

Well, I dont think its a shovel nosed because of the lack of banding...the search continues.

Are there any venomous snakes in Southern California that are not rattlesnakes?

 

[Noexcuse4you]

Spotted Leaf-nose Snake

No, there are no other venomous snakes native to San Diego besides rattlesnakes.

 

[Paladin]

Awesome thanks. Do you know if these are a rarity or a common find? Neat snake, very calm and not as flighty as the shovel nose we found last year in the dunes.

 

[Oasis Inverts]

Wow those are a rare find................Spotted Leaf-nose Snake for sure.

 

[codykrr]

dontforget the sea snake too though those are only found in the southern part...if your along the shore you could stumble across one. and nice find man. but i will say picking up a snake you know nothing about ismighty irresponcible. maybe next time gathra little more info before picking up a snake you know nothing aout.

 

[Noexcuse4you]

dontforget the sea snake too though those are only found in the southern part...if your along the shore you could stumble across one. and nice find man. but i will say picking up a snake you know nothing about ismighty irresponcible. maybe next time gathra little more info before picking up a snake you know nothing aout.

I think you have a better chance of being struck by lightning than stumbling across a sea snake on the shore.

 

[codykrr]

maybe...but the question was.."are there any other venomous snakes in cali" not how often bites occur...i just stated another. and also, sea snakes come to shore quite often. depending on what time of year it is...if its breeding season then there will be more on land than at sea. same with nesting females too. it may be a far cry but its possible. either way though the o.p. and anyone else should exercise more caution before picking up an unknown snake, especially if they dont know what it is. yu cat always rely on the "ones with round pupils arent venomous and the ones with slit pupils are" thing because acually the worlds most deadly snake the "typan"(spelling) has round pupils.

 

[pitbulllady]

maybe...but the question was.."are there any other venomous snakes in cali" not how often bites occur...i just stated another. and also, sea snakes come to shore quite often. depending on what time of year it is...if its breeding season then there will be more on land than at sea. same with nesting females too. it may be a far cry but its possible. either way though the o.p. and anyone else should exercise more caution before picking up an unknown snake, especially if they dont know what it is. yu cat always rely on the "ones with round pupils arent venomous and the ones with slit pupils are" thing because acually the worlds most deadly snake the "typan"(spelling) has round pupils.

In the continental United States, there are no Sea Snakes in either its Atlantic or Pacific Waters, so again, the chances of one coming ashore are considerably less than that of being struck by lightning while simultaneously being attacked by a swarm of killer bees that had been roused from their nest by Bigfoot. In the US, also, the rule about vertical pupils vs. round pupils is a very good one with determining the venomous nature of a snake, with one exception, the Coral Snake, and it's unlikely that this dull-colored little snake is going to turn out to be one of those. All of our other native venomous, including the rear-fanged(and harmless to humans)Night Snakes and Lyre Snakes have vertical pupils, while ALL of the snakes with round pupils(again, with the Coral Snake being the lone exception)are non-venomous. The only non-vens with vertical pupils are the few species of small Boids found here in the Western part of the country, the Rubber Boa, Rosy Boa and to a very, very small extent, the Sonoran Boa, a small subspecies of the common BCI that occasionally wanders up into extreme southern AZ. The only place in the US where I'd advise really knowing what kind of snake it is, species-wise, before picking it up and disregarding the rule about pupil shape would be south Florida, due to the large numbers of exotic species, both venomous and non-venomous, that could have gotten loose. I seriously doubt anyone is going to encounter an Australian Taipan or a Gaboon Viper in the desert of Southern California, though.

pitbulllady

 

[codykrr]

sorry pitbull....but sea snakes are in califorinia! read this and then go to he site..

"Encounters with dangerous snakesAlways be cautious of a snake if you don't know for certain that it is harmless.Some snakes carry dangerous venom which can be harmful and even fatal to humans. (Most of us call these snakes poisonous, which is actually a mis-nomer, since they do not inflict harm when they are consumed. It is more accurate to label them venomous.) The only dangerously venomous native snakes found in California are the seasnake, which occurs in the ocean off souther California and is rarely encountered, and the rattlesnakes, which occur throughout the state and have a rattle on the end of the tail. However, be aware that sometimes the rattle may be missing or broken off. The bite of non-dangerously venomous snakes, such as the Lyre Snake, may also cause a minor reaction in some people. Non-venomous snakes can also cause minor injury by biting. "

then here is th link...http://www.californiaherps.com/identification/snakesid/snakes.id.html

im not saying it is likely...but possible. my point was. in the o.p. post heclearly stated he didnt know what it was but rather "ASSUMED" it wasnt deadly the proper way to go about stuff like this is to NOT hold something you know nothing about...do you see my point. and acually you never truely know what snake you will find these days in the wood work. hell in the late 70's and early 80`s people right here in springfield missouri were finding king cobras..and still to this day there have been some found......my point is clear. be careful.

 

[whitewolf]

Three natives in my area two are copy cats while one is the real deal. Only one is a cotton mouth but which one? Remeber if ya get close enough to see the eyes it prob just got ya. LOL. Not always easy to tell. These are not my pics but giving the address means giving up my answer.

 

[Noexcuse4you]

Three natives in my area two are copy cats while one is the real deal. Only one is a cotton mouth but which one? Remeber if ya get close enough to see the eyes it prob just got ya. LOL. Not always easy to tell. These are not my pics but giving the address means giving up my answer.

Lower right. LOL.

 

[codykrr]

the last one i belive. but cotton mouths have diffrent variations so i could be wrong. the ones aroundhere are jet black as adults.

 

[pitbulllady]

Three natives in my area two are copy cats while one is the real deal. Only one is a cotton mouth but which one? Remeber if ya get close enough to see the eyes it prob just got ya. LOL. Not always easy to tell. These are not my pics but giving the address means giving up my answer.

Lower right, no-brainer. I breed Nerodia, so for me, it's like asking an AKC dog show judge if they can tell the difference between a German Shepherd and a Belgian Malinois, or a Siberian Husky from an Alaskan Malamute. The markings are different, the shape of the heads are different, and I have no trouble discerning snake eye pupil shapes from several feet away, far to distant for the snake to "get me". I have caught both vens and non-vens, on many occasions, and the only bite from a "hot" I've gotten has been from a Copperhead, that I KNEW was a Copperhead, when I was nine. If I can see the head, I'm not going to be fooled, not if it's a native snake. Even if I can't pin the exact species of Crotalus or whatever, I'll know it's a "hot" snake. Knowing those general characteristics of the Crotalids will at least let you know if that's what you're dealing with, or not.

pitbulllady

 

[Paladin]

So the spotted leaf-nose snake is a pretty awesome gecko/lizard eating snake...

 

[whitewolf]

Lower right, no-brainer. I breed Nerodia, so for me, it's like asking an AKC dog show judge if they can tell the difference between a German Shepherd and a Belgian Malinois, or a Siberian Husky from an Alaskan Malamute.
pitbulllady

Ha Ha to true but for people who dont know the diffrence picking up the last pic can be fatal. I've seen too many peole put them in buckets and take to the local extention office and go what is this I caught it in my pond. :wall: Actually even had a guy bring one in didn't know it was 100% Cotton mouth and was letting his 5 year old stick his hand in the bucket while it was strikeing. Then ask will it hurt him. Ugh. Thank god little one didnt get bit but come on dude really if you dont wanna touch it dont know if venom why let your kid.
Had some better pics but when rest the computer lost them all.