The kingsnake is a constrictor. They are swift and active hunters, and they will pursue their prey into a number of different habitats. This may include rodent burrows, bushes and even along the river beds. Once the kingsnake has found its prey, they strike quickly and wrap them up in their coils. They will then slowly squeeze them to death, tightening their coils each time their prey exhales. They then swallow their prey whole, beginning with the head.

In addition to eating their fellow snakes, Kingsnakes also will dine on any small mammal, birds, frogs and various other amphibians.

The kingsnake comes in many variations and subspecies. They can be every color from red to green and black, and every other color of the rainbow. They commonly have stripes that alternate, and generally grow to about 6 feet at maturity. They are very common in their range and they generally live for about 25 years.

Kingsnake’s vary as to their aggressive nature. Some are feisty biters when captured or cornered, while others seem to be very placid. When the Kingsnake is particularly afraid, they are known to release feces onto their attacker.

Kingsnakes hibernate during the cold season, and the length of time varies depending on where they are located. In the northern part of their range, Kingsnakes will sometimes hibernate for four months or more.

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The Black Snake Photo Credit to WIkipedia Commons User Patrick Coin

My black snake did not roll down a hill (no snake can do that by the way) but it sure did surprise me. In all my vast experience with snakes, I had never actually come across one in the wild so to speak. I had seen them in zoos and the like, but they were always behind glass.

Today I was riding down the road and as I rounded the corner to my home, I came across a snake crawling across the road. It was moving fairly slow, and it was bright black so I pulled over and hopped out to check it out.

I knew what a black snake should look like, and quickly identified it as such. The snake was about three feet long and slender, and it quickly noticed me and went to slither away as most snakes do. I could not leave it at that because I love seeing snakes in the wild.

Just as it was about to slither under a board, I grabbed it’s tail and began to pull it back out into the open. Wham! It spun around and barely missed hitting me on the hand. I jumped about six feet into the air it scared me so badly! This thing was quick and was much more likely to strike than I expected. I had barely even touched it and it was ready to strike.

After a couple more attempts at grabbing the snake, the thing struck again. Again it missed. Fortunately, the black snake is not venomous, so I was in no real danger. Still, I have heard a black snake bite is quite painful. Finally, the snake coiled up and just watched me. It took several attempts but the black snake finally let me watch him for a bit.

My first experience with a black snake was memorable, if for no other reason than the aggressive nature of it. I was surprised and found it to be quite exciting. I would love to hear of any black snake stories you might have had. Leave them in the comments below if you have one yourself.

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western blind snake

It might seem hard to believe, but the brahminy blind snake really does resemble a worm.  It is a slender snake, that is considered to be the smallest snake in North America.  This tiny snake is only about 6 inches  long, and has all the appearances of a worm.  The only difference really is that it is smooth and shiny like a snake, and is black in color.

While the brahminy blind snake is often black on top, it is usually a lighter color on the underside of the body.  The tip of the tail can often be yellow as well, much like some of the youngsters of larger species of snakes.  Sometimes the brahminy blind snake has a yellowish tint or white tint under the neck.

While the common earthworm is very similar in many ways, what sets it apart from the brahminy blind snake is the fact that they have segmented bodies.  While most snakes have a difference in size around the neck area, the brahminy blind snake does not.  They shed just like a regular snake, however, and are aided in this by the fact that they are burrowing snakes.  When they burrow, the skin sheds easier.

Young brahminy blind snakes are very much identical to the adults, but are even smaller.  A baby blind snake is only about two inches long.

The brahminy blind snake must have moisture in the soil that it burrows to survive.  If it does not have this moisture, it will eventually dry up.  For this reason, brahminy blind snakes seek out odd places to burrow at times.  They are not shy about taking up residence in your potted plants, and will be happy to make an appearance when you least expect it.

So what does the brahminy blind snake eat?  Because of it’s tiny size, the brahminy primarily eats termites, insect larvae, and tiny tiny insects.

The brahminy blind snake was originally Asian, but ended up prominent in the United States along the way. They prefer warm, tropical locales, and so they are found in Florida in large numbers.  The also are found in Mexico and Hawaii as well.  Most herpetologists agree that they found their way around the world via the potted plants that are shipped around.  Whatever the case, they have become a fairly wide spread species of snake.

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Common garter snakes are some of the most common snakes found in the United States. They are the snake you are most likely to encounter in most suburban areas.   As such, many people wonder about the garter snake and whether they are dangerous.   Many garter snakes are needlessly killed annually because of the misconception that all snakes are dangerous. Here are the things you need to know about garter snakes:

Are Common Garter Snakes Dangerous?

Garter snakes are harmless in all of their various species.  There are many different species of garter snake, and they are all nonvenomous.  This does not mean that a garter snake can not hurt you.  It means that they are harmless from a venom standpoint.  Garter snakes can bite, and sometimes do.  When they bite, like any wild animal bite, the bite can become infected.  As such, garter snakes can give you a painful little bite.  All garter snake bites (any snake bites) should be cleaned and tended for infection protection.  On the whole, garter snakes are completely harmless.

Where Do You Find The Common Garter Snake?

Garter snakes can be found in many different habitats and in many places in the world depending on the species.  The most common garter snakes are found in grasslands, neighborhood back yards, and in the woods.  They are very adaptable snakes on the whole, and a garter snake might just turn up anywhere given the chance.

How Big Do Common Garter Snakes Get?

Garter snakes generally run about 5 ft tops and about as big around as a thick thumb.  They are not large snakes, but they can grow large if the circumstances are right.  Garter snakes are among the most beautiful snakes on the whole.

How Do You Identify A Common Garter Snake?

The common garter snake has a very rounded nose, and a black or brown ground color.  The common garter snake also has a series of yellow stripes running long ways down their backs, and the shades of these colors can vary wildly due to age, species, and location.  Their are many other types of garter snakes that can look much different as well.

What Does The Common Garter Snake Eat?

The common garter snake eats salamandars, lizards, earthworms, and any other small prey they can catch and kill.  They are quite adept at finding unique food, and often prey on whatever is available in their range.

Are Common Garter Snakes Generally Biters?

Garter snakes are often kept as pets, and many of these are caught in the wild initially.  When you catach a garter snake in the wild, they are likely to try to bite as would any wild animal being taken from their natural habitat.  Though the garter snake is generally fiesty at first, they end up being very docile as a rule.  If you leave them alone in the wild, they almost never bite.

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Snakes as pets is not a new hobby to say the least.  One of the most popular snakes that people keep as pets is the yellow rat snake. This snake is readily found in the wild, and around farms in particular.  The yellow rat snake can be kind of tough to identify, however.  This article is for those people that want to identify the yellow rat snake in the wild, and possibly even keep them as pets.

The yellow rat snake has no venom like the pit vipers and other dangerous snakes in the United States.  Still, they are very feisty in the wild, and will bite readily.  As such, pet owners should really consider getting a yellow rat snake that was born in captivity. They are much more likely to be docile, and they surely would be easier to attain.  Still, a wild yellow rat snake is sometimes docile as well.

Yellow rat snakes can vary wildly in color as well.  This can lead to misidentification, and sometimes to dangerous misidentification.  This variation in color is due to regional location, as well as the age of the snake.  Here are some details about the yellow rat snake that can help you to understand and identify them better:

The first thing is to make sure the yellow rat snake is even located in your area.  They are generally foun din the southeast, from about South Carolina down to Florida.  They are very common in these areas, but they are also excellent at hiding from you when you are looking for them.  As mentioned, farms are a wonderful place to find the yellow rat snake, and this is because they are natural exterminators for mice and rats.  A yellow rat snake is true to their name… they eat the mice like crazy.  They can also be found in the woods, however, and anywhere that you might find mice.  Yes, that means in the house too if you have indoor mice.

In the North, the yellow rat snake is actually the black rat snake.  They are essentially the same snake that is colored different and in different locations.

Yellow rat snakes are most commonly yellow, but they can also be brown, black and any other color of the rainbow.  They always have four brown lines that run down the length of their bodies. The rat snake is a constrictor and is capable of powerful squeezes for their size.  They constrict their prey by wrapping around the prey, and slowly squeezing more and more as the prey struggles to breathe.  They then swallow the prey starting at the head, and working their way down the body.

While the yellow rat snake is harmless overall, it can deliver a nasty bite to you.  Any snakebite is important to have checked out at the doctor, simply because snakes eat carrion sometimes, and vermin.  Vermin carry disease, and it is better to be safe than sorry.  The yellow rat snake is generally a very laid back snake as a pet once they become used to you.  Again, consider having a yellow rat snake that was raised in captivity if you truly want a docile snake for a pet.

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