what type of snake

[Slickhead]

Hey guys Im not an expert on snakes. But Saturday my wife and I were cleaning up the yard of a place we are buying and I looked down on the sidewalk was a (what looked like a baby) snake.
It had the pattern similar to a copperhead but was brown/tan. (I live in south east Ohio)
It was strange, when I was close to it its neck flatten and it rose its head "like a cobra does"
Well I killed it. I examined its eyes and they were round and black.
what kind of snake do you think this is?
sorry no pics

[Sean B]

It sounds like a Milk snake.  many snakes will flatten thier heads when they feel threatend

[bornagainbowhunter]

The color don't make sense, but they do change with local areas.  I would say for the reaction of the snake it should be a spreading adder.  We have those in AR.  Not harmful, but cool.  I caught one the other day and showed my kiddos.  They are usually short and stout built, dark colored with a dim pattern, around here anyway.

God Bless,
Nathan

[Sean B]

see if this come through.  did it look like this?

http://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view;_ylt=A0PDoS0cCVtQ8z4A_7mJzbkF;_ylu=X3oDMTBlMTQ4cGxyBHNlYwNzcgRzbGsDaW1n?back=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3Fp%3 Dmilk%2Bsnake%26ei%3DUTF-8%26fr%3Dyfp-t-521-s%26fr2%3Dtab-web%26tab%3Dorganic%26ri%3D5&w=1024&h=768&imgurl=i199.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Faa220%2Fslybirdsly%2FHerping%2FAllegany%2 52007%2FMilkSnake1.jpg&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fslybird.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F06%2Fallegany-state-park-herping-trip.html&size=290.4+KB&name=The+Milk+Snakes+were+plenty+aggressive.+Both+ex hibited+fake+tail+...&p=milk+snake&oid=f8d37bf7508f9dfa30005b21fb993110&fr2=tab-web&fr=yfp-t-521-s&tt=The%2BMilk%2BSnakes%2Bwere%2Bplenty%2Baggressive.%2BBoth%2Bexhibited%2Bfake%2B tail%2B...&b=0&ni=21&no=5&ts=&tab=organic&sigr=129l4916k&sigb=13e5e3uis&sigi=12hdoi3nn&.crumb=7Nw7wpxrOqU

[KOOK68]

hognose snake. They will also play dead.

[eminart]

Originally posted by Slickhead:
Hey guys Im not an expert on snakes. But Saturday my wife and I were cleaning up the yard of a place we are buying and I looked down on the sidewalk was a (what looked like a baby) snake.
It had the pattern similar to a copperhead but was brown/tan. (I live in south east Ohio)
It was strange, when I was close to it its neck flatten and it rose its head "like a cobra does"
Well I killed it. I examined its eyes and they were round and black.
what kind of snake do you think this is?
sorry no pics

You just described about half the snakes in america, especially if it was a "baby."    

As suggested, it could have been a milk snake or hognose snake (spreading adder). Also could have been a northern water snake, a banded water snake, a juvenile black racer, one of the various subspecies of rat snakes, a Dekay's snake, or a host of others.

No pics?

[Slickhead]

looks like it was probably a milksnake
Thanks

[landman]

So, why did you kill it?

[TxAg]

sounds like a hognose snake

[NormanDale33]

1 vote for hognose...not sure though.

[Slickhead]

Landman

I dont like snakes

You can argue the benifits all day, but to me the only good snake is the one backing a bow.

Sorry if that offends those who like them.

[Jim Wright]

Hognose Snake

[JimB]

As stated,definitely a hognose snake.They vary in color and babies may vary slightly from the adult color.They are the only snake in North America that flattens out it's head and neck like that.As fierce as they look,displaying like that,they are extremely harmless.They will also play "possum" if the spreading doesn't work.Their diet consists,at least as adults,almost completely of toads.

[wooddamon1]

Hognose, we used to find them all the time in West Michigan as kids and tell girls we caught a "cobra", good times...

[eminart]

Originally posted by JimB:
They are the only snake in North America that flattens out it's head and neck like that.

Not entirely true. Many snakes will flatten out their heads. Hognosed snakes take to to an extreme that others don't though.

[monterey]

Originally posted by KOOK68:
hognose snake. They will also play dead.

Apparently this one wasn't "playing"  

[LBR]

I also think it was a hognose--those are protected in some states.  Totally harmless--unless you are a toad.  

I don't know of any other snake that will put on the show they do--spread the head and neck like a cobra (hence the name "spreading adder" or "spreadenadder" around here--said as one word).  They will hiss, even strike--but the strike is ALWAYS away from an object.  Say you put your hand to the left of it's head, it will strike to the right, and vice-versa--they will NOT bite you (unless you smell like a toad).

If this display doesn't work, then it's on to Act II.  It will convulse, roll...act like it's been poisoned, and wind up on it's back "dead", complete with it's tongue hanging out. Funny thing is if you roll it on it's belly, it will roll over on it's back and continue to play dead until it thinks the threat has passed.

One of God's great creations--lots of fun to watch, rare around here--I've only seen one is the last several years.

Snakes are like guns--some people are terrified of them because they are uneducated about them.  The answer isn't to get rid of the guns, or snakes.  The answer is to educate yourself on them, and eliminate the fear.

[centaur]

Yep, hognose. I always enjoyed watching their antics many years ago when I lived in Texas. Wish we had them in Wyoming. A very cool snake.

[Brad Arnett]

Lots of eastern hognose snakes here where we live. Just stopped and moved a big one, pushing 40"s, out the road a couple days ago. Was laying there soaking up some heat. They are pretty cool snakes.

[Killdeer]

"Snakes are like guns--some people are terrified of them because they are uneducated about them. The answer isn't to get rid of the guns, or snakes. The answer is to educate yourself on them, and eliminate the fear."

Chad, I love you.    :D  
Killdeer