Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Today's Photo - A Snake!

I wasn't sure what I would end up taking a photo of today, but walking around my backyard the question was quickly answered when I spotted this guy!


Eastern Kingsnake


Many people are afraid of snakes, but I find them facinating.  This guy was nice enough to pose for me.  I wasn't sure what kind of snake it was, so I sent an email with a photo to a contact at the scdnr.   Here was the response:

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This is an "Eastern kingsnake". Non-venomous and a neat animal. They are constrictors that eat rodents and other snakes.


This one is about to shed its skin, as told by the milky color of its eyes. A secretion under the skin, including the eye cap, loosens the skin. In a few days the eyes will clear up, then a couple of days after that he will shed his skin (and eye cap) and be very shinny and "new" looking.
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3 comments:

James Robert Smith said...

Well, it's a constrictor. Not sure exactly what type it is, but they're harmless to people. Looks like he's about to shed...his eye is milky and they look like that shortly before they get rid of the old skin.

Jack Thyen said...

Bob, except for not being able to identify it, you hit the nail on the head. Your response matched up to what the guy at the scdnr responded. It's an Eastern Kingsnake!

James Robert Smith said...

More proof that I'm not clueless!

I was actually going to mention kingsnake as a possibility, along with some type of black snake. But I just didn't know.

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