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Random Herping - in my back yard! What type of snake is this?

Eriathiel

Short and Sweet
Well - I am horrible at idenifying snakes other then ball pythons and cornsnakes! So when I helped my dad move a tarp today and about four of these guys slithered out I wasn't sure that type they were! Lovely snakes though - all similar color, the pictures are of the biggest guy. :) Can anyone tell me what type they are?

P.S. As you can see in the one picture Sydney, my German Shorthaired Pointer/Vizsla was being a good hunting dog - completely oblivious to where they all went. :)
Oh and I'm sorry about the quality of the photos - we are remodelling and I couldn't find the normal camera, so I had to use my phone!
 

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I thought maybe a garter - but this guy was sooo thick and fat... and calm. He just sat there mostly.
 
Its one of these three snakes.
Shorthead Garter Snake (Thamnophis brachystoma)
Ribbon Snake (Thamnophis sauritus)
Eastern Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis)

It does not look like a Ribbon, and the Short head is rare in your state. So my guess is its a well fed or Gravid Eastern

here is a link for your state's snakes.
http://www.fish.state.pa.us/snakespaspecies.htm
 
I'm voting Eastern Garter. The snake I was raised on, that I raised my daughter on! I wonder if you interrupted some mating!

Nanci
 
snake

It looks like one of the Garter snakes to me. You should look up snakes found in your area and it should be pretty easy to identify which species.
 
I would say without a doubt what you see before you is a Eastern Garter snake. Although the Ribbon snake is native to your area it's to heavy bodied to be one.
 
Wow thanks guys! :) I think its an Eastern as well!

I wonder if I did interrupt mating too Nanci, I did see four snakes! Too bad I didn't catch them in the act!
 
I figured that

tricksterpup said:
Um.. Butlers are not listed as found in his state.

I didn't see it on the list for his state either, but it sure looked similar. I thought if I mentioned it looked like a Butler then someone may know what snake looked close for that area.

I hope you see it again!
 
Definitely a garter. From the area, most likely an eastern.

Garters mate as soon as they come out of hibernation -- roughly the end of March where I live. Probably this is a gravid female that will give birth in 1-5 weeks.

Nice looking snake.
 
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