What kind of snake is this?

[Renai]

Dh just found it nearby. We'll be releasing it by the river near us, as we assume that's where it came from.

 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TF9ldU4JFIiFrn-N6JG4x2Gme_Fa2k2n6Q/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/13Nb3ZbrCqvDHCJw8gW-S-OXY7oqkq-g5sg/view?usp=sharing

 

Thanks. :D

[Kebo]

A Coachwhip maybe?  Some of the color morphs are pinkish like that, especially in the southwestern part of the US. 

[Critterfixer]

Looking at the pictures in my Western Amphibians and Reptiles guide, I agree with the above:  that looks like a Coachwhip. They are a very long snake (36-102 inches).

[Renai]

Thanks. I should have mentioned I am in the southwest, so that sounds about right.

Edited June 26, 2016 by Renai

[Renai]

One more pic, and we've already let it go. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1T5r9mk7LPgDzM5I8Th33KBp7YFJM9Orwrw/view?usp=sharing

[hornblower]

If you want confirmation, I follow this guy on twitter & he loves to ID snakes.

David Steen, PhD https://twitter.com/alongsidewild

[Soror]

Beautiful.

[jewellsmommy]

One more pic, and we've already let it go. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1T5r9mk7LPgDzM5I8Th33KBp7YFJM9Orwrw/view?usp=sharing

 

Awe, that's a cute pic with his tongue out like that! 

[Renai]

If you want confirmation, I follow this guy on twitter & he loves to ID snakes.

David Steen, PhD https://twitter.com/alongsidewild

 

Well, that was quick. It was confirmed in less than 2 minutes that it is a coachwhip!

 

Thanks all! Yes, she was a beautiful snake. I call her Pinky (just in case she comes back to visit again).

[Upptacka]

Wow, what a beautiful snake! And I really don't like snakes, so that is saying a lot. 😉

You got some great pictures! I am sure pinky is thankful you brought her to a safe place.

[Guest]

I was going to say Red Racer.... I think that's also known as a coachwhip.

[wintermom]

Yes, I agree that it is a beautiful snake! Glad you had the opportunity to enjoy it and release it safe and sound. 

[Dmmetler]

I'm coming in late, but yes, a beautiful coachwhip. Thank you for safely relocating her!

 

I will say that they have a bit of a reputation for being bitey and flighty-non venomous, so they can't really hurt you seriously, but I've seen pretty experienced people glove up before handling a black, blue or red racer because they are one of the most likely snakes to bite first, ask questions later, and their bites do hurt (and unlike my DD, who was THRILLED when a black racer bit her, most of us don't have "get bitten by a snake" on our bucket list!)

 

And I absolutely agree with following @AlongsideWild. David is a professor at Auburn, and is the guy Slate calls "the best biologist on Twitter". He and his grad students basically have someone online all the time to do snake ID, because his goal is to make people aware that snakes don't need to be killed, aren't all dangerous, etc. He's also a really, really nice guy.

[Renai]

Dh is not afraid of snakes and we've bred the non-fear, but be respectful, into our daughters. We've lived here for 13 years though, and have never come across that type of snake. It was surprising.

 

There was a family debate on whether to leave the snake in our garden or take it to the (currently dry) river. I told them that it got too big to stay this close to the house (we live in a triplex on a private road and want for space). In the end, Pinky didn't make it all the way to the river because she was so mad at dh for catching her in the first place that she started to double back wrapping herself around the stick dh was holding, trying to get at him! He thought it best to let her go (not mentioning the ensuing panic) in the thick brush nearby before he got bit. It was kinda funny actually.

[Seasider]

I'm coming in late, but yes, a beautiful coachwhip. Thank you for safely relocating her!

 

I will say that they have a bit of a reputation for being bitey and flighty-non venomous, so they can't really hurt you seriously, but I've seen pretty experienced people glove up before handling a black, blue or red racer because they are one of the most likely snakes to bite first, ask questions later, and their bites do hurt (and unlike my DD, who was THRILLED when a black racer bit her, most of us don't have "get bitten by a snake" on our bucket list!)

 

And I absolutely agree with following @AlongsideWild. David is a professor at Auburn, and is the guy Slate calls "the best biologist on Twitter". He and his grad students basically have someone online all the time to do snake ID, because his goal is to make people aware that snakes don't need to be killed, aren't all dangerous, etc. He's also a really, really nice guy.

Once I found a clutch of reptile eggs in a pile of dirt we'd brought in to fill low places in the yard. I put three of them into a styrofoam cooler to see what would hatch out. They weren't in there but overnight; next morning I opened the box to find 3 ferocious little black racers. They tried and tried to bite me but their mouths were too small to even grasp a fingertip. I set the fiesty buggers loose near the creek behind the house.