• Hello!

    Either you have not registered on this site yet, or you are registered but have not logged in. In either case, you will not be able to use the full functionality of this site until you have registered, and then logged in after your registration has been approved.

    Registration is FREE, so please register so you can participate instead of remaining a lurker....

    Please be certain that the location field is correctly filled out when you register. All registrations that appear to be bogus will be rejected. Which means that if your location field does NOT match the actual location of your registration IP address, then your registration will be rejected.

    Sorry about the strictness of this requirement, but it is necessary to block spammers and scammers at the door as much as possible.

Found snake, ID help please

Kali

Kali

lost cause
I got a call from a collegue that her mother found a snake in the garage. She (the mother) was kind of freaked out and didn't know what to do with it. Could I come and have a look at it.
Of course I could :) The only indigenous snake here is an adder, and not really around these parts. And this is not that. I guess he probably escaped somewhere.

Looks to me like some kind of rat maybe :shrugs:, but my knowledge about those is near non-existant so what do you do...? You post a pic on CS of course :D
I have no idea, so just in case, I was really carefull getting him home. he didn't try to strike. At first, he coiled up tight like he was afraid, when that didn't make me go away he started hissing. None of my snakes every hissed that long and loud! :D
I think he maybe got stuck at some point, as he has some damaged scales on a few places. But on first sight they don't seem to bother him really, so for now I'll just let him be.

The first two pics are without flash, but not in natural lighting (dark outside now). Last one is with flash. I think that one comes nearest to his real color.

Does anybody know what I took home here?
 

Attachments

  • IMG_0132 klein.jpg
    IMG_0132 klein.jpg
    86.2 KB · Views: 97
  • IMG_0137 klein.jpg
    IMG_0137 klein.jpg
    86.7 KB · Views: 97
  • IMG_0138 klein.jpg
    IMG_0138 klein.jpg
    87 KB · Views: 98
Ah, no rat then...
the pics I found of the viperine snake differ quite a lot, but several look very much like this one indeed.
Now to decide what I'll do with him...
 
If that were in my parts, I'd call it a very clean patterned northern watersnake. I think you guys have grass snakes and similar Natrix species... I'm not much help on Belgian snakes, but it should have a quick temper, musk, and eat fish if it's anything like our representatives!
 
Snakes Incorporated said:
Speak to someone in your area who has the necessary experience to assist you would be the first option.
Click to expand...

Indeed. Tomorrow at work I'll go and talk to the reptile keepers. They will be able to guide me in this. He seems to have bumps and bruises, and while they don't seem to bother him much, I'd like to keep an eye on them.
I'm not sure wether I'm keeping him myself, but I do at least want to keep him until I'm sure he eats, sheds and heals his damaged parts well.
So I'm gathering info real fast now.

elrojo said:
If that were in my parts, I'd call it a very clean patterned northern watersnake. I think you guys have grass snakes and similar Natrix species... I'm not much help on Belgian snakes, but it should have a quick temper, musk, and eat fish if it's anything like our representatives!
Click to expand...

I do think it was someones pet. I looked up the Natrix maura and while they do live in Europe, they're range is a whole lot more southern.
Like I said, the only indigenous snake here is the adder.
A quick temper he surely has. I just have to move in the general direction of his little viv and he starts hissing :D
I'll best leave him alone for a while I think.

wasuslitherin said:
Wht are the lumps in it?
Click to expand...

I think you're talking about the "bumps and bruises"? Looks like he got stuck somewhere. On first sight it doesn't seem too serious, but I'm keeping a close eye on him. Any sign that it bothers him, means off to the vet.
 
I agree with Snakes, Inc. and Chip.

Looks natricine.

EDIT : I was going to say genus Coronella, but the snake above looks like it has keeled scales.
 
Last edited:
You might try posting a pic on this site, there are a few members who are especially good at I.D.ing the different water, garter & ribbons snakes. I agree that it looks natricine, but don't know much about them.

http://www.thamnophis.com/
 
Just a correction: I was wrong about the adder (an that is no english word either I notice now) --> viper... being the only snake in Belgium. apparantly Natrix natrix lives here too (in the south, I'm way up north).
But I don't think this one is that, the head seems to be different.
 
Kali, adder is an english word,...but I'm guessing there are no Thamnophis in Belgium. ;)

(Sorry, Tavia, I had to say that, nothing personal.)

Here it says Coronella austriaca lives in Belgium. Looks similar. I am sure they have regional variations in appearance.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronella
I know this is wikipedia (not great reference), but I was looking for a range map of european snakes. I'm guessing there are field guides (books) over there, similar to the ones we use for field observation, range maps, and natural history.
 
No, no Thamnophis here :)
But on the site they apparantly know a lot about natricine snakes too... oh well, I can try.
I'm still quite sure it escaped somewhere. Even a Natrix would be far out of his way and out of his habitat where he was found...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top