# ginormous snake !!!!



## FERAL ONE (Jan 6, 2009)

okay , so it ain't that big    i have been snake poor this year and happened to see a piece of pinestraw crawlin' today by my foot and reached down and caught this little critter.  i was at work so i did not have too much time but found a nice moss covered rock to pose it on. in retro, i wish i had time to try my 18-50 on it but all i grabbed was my macro. i got a couple of neat ones though.  not sure what kind it is, it had several faint lines running down it's back and was a mild mannered snake but boy was it fast !!!  anyway, i can say i finally got to take a snakes picture !!!


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## TXR (Jan 6, 2009)

Great shots.  Really like the last one.  That is my favorite.  Good job

Tom


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## DRB1313 (Jan 6, 2009)

Man! I love that pose in the third one, but I kinda like that super thin DOF in the second one.
Hard to pick a favorite when they are all that good.


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## ronfritz (Jan 6, 2009)

I'll take #2 F1.  Nice shots!


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## cre8foru (Jan 6, 2009)

Great shots. What kind is it?


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## FERAL ONE (Jan 6, 2009)

i am not sure cre8, i saw one just like it a few weeks ago in columbus but had nothing to keep it in till i got home.  i don't know if it is a baby snake or just a very small speces of snake. hopefully rip or someone can shed some light on it !!!


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## GAstumpshooter (Jan 6, 2009)

Nice shots


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## jason308 (Jan 6, 2009)

Nice work F1!!!!  I'm no herpetologist, but I'd say it is a northern brown snake, redbelly snake or something of close kin.  Here is one I shot last year...http://forum.gon.com/showthread.php?t=183357&highlight=brown+snake

You've got to know exactly what to look for to tell them apart, and I don't have that skill.  If I am correct the difference in those is something to do with the labial scales on the head (my herp book is packed up somewhere).....I'm sure Rip can help out though...


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## Hoss (Jan 6, 2009)

Well, I can tell you it's a mighty photogenic snake.  You got some great shots, Feral.  I'm hard pressed to pick a favorite.  Great find and some great shots.

Hoss


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## robertyb (Jan 6, 2009)

Immature Rat Snake?


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## #4s (Jan 6, 2009)

I like that shallow DOF.


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## JasonF (Jan 6, 2009)

Fantastic series F1 !!
I like them all...Nice job!!


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## DRB1313 (Jan 6, 2009)

I think you have a stalker


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## germag (Jan 7, 2009)

Pine Woods Snake (_Radinaea flavilata_)

Nice shots...rare find.


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## DocHoliday (Jan 7, 2009)

Awesome shots!!


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## THREEJAYS (Jan 7, 2009)

Those would be really cool if I like snakes


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## leo (Jan 7, 2009)

Well, IMO the wait was worth it Feral, you sure got a fine series with these


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## slimbo (Jan 7, 2009)

Looks like an Orange Julius snake to me.  Neat find.


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## Smokey (Jan 7, 2009)

My favorite one is all of them.


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## germag (Jan 7, 2009)

slimbo said:


> Looks like an Orange Julius snake to me.  Neat find.




That's a new one on me....  Never heard of an Orange Julius  snake. Must be a local name.....like "White Oak Runner" for a Grey Rat Snake.

The thing that bothers me about my Pine Woods Snake ID is the locale. Phenix City, Al is not where you'd expect to find one....it's a coastal plains snake...but that's sure what it looks like. It would have been cool to be able to see it's belly.


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## Jake Allen (Jan 7, 2009)

Good photography and wrangling skills with a super outcome!
Those are some fine shots and nice backdrop. Just does not look like January in Georgia set up.


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## FERAL ONE (Jan 7, 2009)

germag , the belly was a pale orange, solid with no markings on the scales. does that help  ?


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## germag (Jan 7, 2009)

Yep...scratch the Pine Woods Snake ID.

This one wasn't really an easy ID.....there are some confusing ID points, but the key to it happened to be the locale and the pale orange, patternless belly.

It's a Red-bellied snake. There are two subspecies that are present in Alabama. The Northern Red-bellied snake and the Florida Red-bellied snake. It's extremely difficult to differentiate in certain Alabama populations because neither subspecies always exhibits the normal markings and coloration for the species.

The Russell County Alabama populations are extremely variable. Normally this species has a black head and two rows of black spots longitudinal, one on each side of the belly as well as a stripe down the middle of the back and a light ring around the neck. The Russell County Alabama populations may exhibit only one of these traits or all of them or none of them. Ground color is extremely variable, too...ranging from grey to golden brown. A few even have solid black bellies.

If you were to Google Northern Red-bellied Snake or Florida Red-bellied snake and look at the photos, you'd probably say "No way..."


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## robertyb (Jan 7, 2009)

Pine Woods Snake!!!


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## germag (Jan 7, 2009)

robertyb said:


> Pine Woods Snake!!!



That's what I thought at first glance, too......but it's not. It's way out of the range, plus certain key head markings aren't present. Read above......


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## flintdiver (Jan 7, 2009)

It's a redbelly.


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## huntin_dobbs (Jan 7, 2009)

#2 is my fave great focus and it shows how well he blends with that pine straw!


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## rip18 (Jan 8, 2009)

Absolutely awesome shots, F1!!  Great job on the ID germag!


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## slimbo (Jan 8, 2009)

This was my red-bellied from last year.  Man they sure can vary in color patterns.  But you are on that other side of the river though.

http://forum.gon.com/showthread.php?t=214633


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## germag (Jan 9, 2009)

slimbo said:


> This was my red-bellied from last year.  Man they sure can vary in color patterns.  But you are on that other side of the river though.
> 
> http://forum.gon.com/showthread.php?t=214633




That one is pretty typical and that's the coloration that the field guide descriptions are based on.


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## dawg2 (Jan 9, 2009)

flintdiver said:


> It's a redbelly.



Yep.  This is a great link for GA snakes.  http://www.uga.edu/srelherp/snakes/stoocc.htm


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