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First Wild Snake! Bittersweet.

E

Em Wright

The Ice Queen
Today I saw my first wild snake up close! Unfortunately it was not the best of circumstances.

We were on our way to FedEx in Jonesboro when we came upon a snake in the road, he was flailing about and seemed hurt. Immediately I yelled for my husband to pull over and we jumped out of the car to see if we could help him.

I believe it was some sort of a ratsnake. He was black with brown and had the ratsnake face. I'm not entirely sure and my phone camera didn't save the picture (stupid phone).

But he had a head injury. We put him in a container in the car and hurried him to the nearest vet. They thought I was crazy for bringing in a wild snake from the side of the road, but upon my insisting that they try to help him they agreed to see him.

By the time the Vet got in the poor snake had already died. :( I was so sad he couldn't be saved, because he was such a gorgeous animal and didn't deserve to die. I wish there was more we could have done for him. The Vet didn't charge me for the visit, even though I claimed full responsibility for the snake.

It was a privilege to see a wild snake! I just wish it had been under better circumstances! :(
 
First off, thank you for stopping for the snake. I see so many people just hit them- even aim for them. I always stop to move them, even dead ones. Second, You will encounter another one in better circumstances soon. They're almost every where. You just don't find them if you look!! At least that's my luck. I've only found one when actually looking...
 
Thanks Ali. I don't like see any animal hit on the side of the road. I think it's horrible that people aim for them or don't care if they are hit. I had a raccoon jump out in front of my car late one night after work, it was killed, I cried my eyes out! I felt even worse that I had been speeding, trying to get home, maybe if I had been going a little slower I wouldn't have hit him? :(

I am terrified of turtles, but if I see one on the side of the road I always stop to move it. There is no reason to kill an animal simply because it is there, accidents are one thing, killing for food or other resources that animals offer is also different, but for the pleasure of taking a life? That's flat out wrong.
 
Well guess what showed up in my inbox this afternoon!! The picture from my phone! I thought it had failed to send it, but apparently it just took forever. :p

Can anyone identify what kind of snake he might be? I live in North Central Arkansas.
 

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Buzzard said:
Weird, It resemble a coachwhip but I dont think its one.....? Have no clue.
Click to expand...
Yeah... the tail really does look like a coachwhip. Didn't know that red/pink ones were that far east. Of course, I'm a rank amateur identifying snakes. LOL.

Sorry that this was your first wild one... but as mentioned, KUDOS to you for trying to save him. I'm hoping that you get to see another wild one soon!
 
Well the Vet said it was some kind of a ratsnake... and the markings were more brownish red than pink. Sorry my camera doesn't take very good pictures.

He had a clear, no pattern, belly.
 
With brown markings, I am leaning still towards a coachwhip. But again not that familiar with arkansas snakes. Research time, now its gonna bug me until I find out.
.
 
Yes, some of the Coachwhips look exactly like him!

Edit:

http://www.herpsofarkansas.com/Snake/ColuberFlagellum

Edit 2:

Thanks Buzzard for finding that out for me! It's nice knowing what it is and a little about it. I still wish we could have saved the poor thing. From what I read highway fatalities are common for this species as they like to bask on the warm pavement. :( It was still a pleasure to see one in real life though!
 
NICE! Black headed with red towards the tail. Very kewl coachwhips!

I bet they're mean as all get up like the ones around here. LOL.
 
I'd go with coachwhip. I live in arkansas as well and ive never seen a black rat that looked like that. Maybe its some sort of hybrid. thats just a guess though. I'm not sure what it is.
 
sorry, meant to say thats awesome what u did for that snake, too many ppl r cruel to them, its nice to hear about ppl who try to help!
 
Aw, that's too bad that he died. :( Where I live, I see the occasional rattlesnake on the road, and though I'm certainly not going to get out of the vehicle and help them, other cars actually aim for them!

When I was about ten, my family was driving home one evening and saw a rattlesnake crossing the road. One car tried to hit it, and it struck at the vehicle. We just drove around it, but the car after us hit it and I had to see it. It was horrible. I've always been very sensitive to innocent things dying and it was shocking to my child's mind that someone would WANT to kill an animal for no reason.

(As a side story, I once accidentally killed a baby gecko when I was a kid, and I couldn't stop crying.)
 
hypnoctopus said:
Aw, that's too bad that he died. :( Where I live, I see the occasional rattlesnake on the road, and though I'm certainly not going to get out of the vehicle and help them, other cars actually aim for them!

When I was about ten, my family was driving home one evening and saw a rattlesnake crossing the road. One car tried to hit it, and it struck at the vehicle. We just drove around it, but the car after us hit it and I had to see it. It was horrible. I've always been very sensitive to innocent things dying and it was shocking to my child's mind that someone would WANT to kill an animal for no reason.

(As a side story, I once accidentally killed a baby gecko when I was a kid, and I couldn't stop crying.)
Click to expand...

Carry a big pole/stick in your car :) I always have one just in case I find a rattler trying out the road.
 
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