[Carolyn (OP)]

My daughter was nearly bitten by this snake in my garage.  My brother shot it with a bb gun.  It measured 6.5 feet long.

[elegantlywasted]

Carolyn where in the US do you live?

-Meg

[DoctorBeaver]

I think it's an Eastern Coachwhip. Most have a darker head which fades to a tan, cream, or grey colour but some are uniformly coloured.

Average length for an adult is 6-7ft although they can grow to 8.5ft. They're non-venomous, but can be a bit stroppy. They will only attack if there is no obvious escape route. They are VERY fast.

They're common throughout Florida.

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[Carolyn (OP)]

quote:Originally posted by elegantlywasted

Carolyn where in the US do you live?

-Meg

North Florida

[ukmicky]

Hi Carolyn

I like snakes.

why did your brother kill it,  he SHOULD have called someone out to trap it instead and you have WOULD  also HAVE  found out what it was for sure so when the dead snakes brothers comes looking for him you would have known whether to freak out or not



Michael

[DoctorBeaver]

quote:Originally posted by ukmicky

Hi Carolyn

I like snakes.

why did your brother kill it,  he have called someone out to trap it instead and you have also  found out what it was for sure so when the dead snakes brothers comes looking for him you would have known whether to freak out or not



Michael

I like snakes too; even though 1 nearly killed me. It was my own fault, I don't blame the snake in the slightest.

As for why Carolyn's brother killed it... her daughter nearly got bitten & they didn't know whether it was venomous or not. Although I may not approve of killing snakes, I can understand why her brother shot it.

As an addendum to my previous post, the more I look at the photo, the more convinced I am that it's a coachwhip. There aren't that many types of snake in the U.S. that reach 6.5ft and I can't think of another of that colour. It's not a typical-looking coachwhip, but I can't think of any others that length & colouring. It's also got the typically bulbous and darker head of a coachwhip. The only thing that isn't typical is that the colour doesn't fade behind the head; but, as I previously said, some don't have that. All the other American snakes I know of that grow to that length look totally different.



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[Carolyn (OP)]

quote:Originally posted by DoctorBeaver

quote:Originally posted by ukmicky

Hi Carolyn

I like snakes.

why did your brother kill it,  he have called someone out to trap it instead and you have also  found out what it was for sure so when the dead snakes brothers comes looking for him you would have known whether to freak out or not



Michael

I like snakes too; even though 1 nearly killed me. It was my own fault, I don't blame the snake in the slightest.

As for why Carolyn's brother killed it... her daughter nearly got bitten & they didn't know whether it was venomous or not. Although I may not approve of killing snakes, I can understand why her brother shot it.

As an addendum to my previous post, the more I look at the photo, the more convinced I am that it's a coachwhip. There aren't that many types of snake in the U.S. that reach 6.5ft and I can't think of another of that colour. It's not a typical-looking coachwhip, but I can't think of any others that length & colouring. It's also got the typically bulbous and darker head of a coachwhip. The only thing that isn't typical is that the colour doesn't fade behind the head; but, as I previously said, some don't have that. All the other American snakes I know of that grow to that length look totally different.



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Hi Doc - I think you're right.  I googled the eastern coachwhip and that's exactly what it looked like.  The tail was exactly as the web site described.  It looked like a braided whip.  It's also indigenous to my area.  It likes pine trees and palmetto bushes.  Unfortunately, my backyard is full of both.

As to why the snake was killed. You were right, we couldn't tell exactly what kind it was and it did try to bite my daughter.  It got behind some stuff and we couldn't get close enough to tell.  

I actually did try to contact the wildlife officer, but he would not respond and I don't know of any trappers in the area.  When my brother came by, I insisted he find it and kill it.  I am DEATHLY afraid of snakes.  This is not an exaggeration.  I get nauseous, sweaty, sometimes cry hysterically, and I hyper-ventilate.  I know this is irrational, but I can't help it.  Probably stems from a childhood trauma involving a rattlesnake.  Unfortunately, I have passed this fear on to my daughter.  My brother knew the snake was to fast to catch, and my daughter and I would not be able to go into the garage again until we knew, without a doubt that that snake was gone.

[Carolyn (OP)]

quote:Originally posted by ukmicky

Hi Carolyn

I like snakes.

why did your brother kill it,  he have called someone out to trap it instead and you have also  found out what it was for sure so when the dead snakes brothers comes looking for him you would have known whether to freak out or not
Michael

Thanks Michael. Now I'll probably have nightmares about a family of non-venomous snakes seeking revenge.[]

[DoctorBeaver]

quote:Originally posted by Carolyn
Hi Doc - I think you're right.

Glad to be of service []

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[Lori]

Hey Carolyn,
Where in North Florida do you live?  My parents live in Destin, FL, I also lived in North Florida before I moved to Sweden.
My parents have problems with the pygmy rattlers in their yard and garden, their dog was bitten and almost died.  They had to get the anti-venom from the local hospital to save her life.  I'm always cautious when we are there.  
I know the snakes are very important to the food chain and serve more good than bad but they creep me out!
Lori

[DoctorBeaver]

Lori - Obviously you mean the dusky pygmy not the western pygmy.

Duskies are quite aggressive little buggers but not particularly venomous. The worst you can expect is amputation! []

But are you sure all the pygmies you saw were actually pygmies? There are 2 varieties of hognose snakes (southern and eastern hognose) that look very similar at a quick glance. The difference is the shape of the snout; a hognose's snout turns upwards (hence the name). There is also a difference in the eyes; but you'd have to be pretty close to see that!

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[Carolyn (OP)]

Hi Lori - I'm in a small town called Eastpoint. It's approx. 100 miles east of Destin.
We get alot of ground rattlers, which I think are the same as duskies.  Before we concreted our driveway, I owned a restaurant, and I had to leave home at 4:30 am.  In the spring and summer, I was sometimes paralyzed with fear and had to talk myself into opening the door and going out.  I averaged seeing a snake about once a week, sometimes more.  This fear keeps me from doing alot of things.  I don't know if I'll ever get over it.

Carolyn

[DoctorBeaver]

Carolyn - duskies are indeed also known as ground rattlers.

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