"Warning All water snakes in the genus Nerodia will bite if harassed. Their bite is not venomous. The Southern is commonly mistaken for the venomous Cottonmouth. It defends itself vigorously when disturbed."

It is DEFINITELY a watersnake, of that I have no doubt. I think they are all pretty close in appearance. I read in one place where the plainbelly is also mistaken for the copperhead and actually flattens it's head to try and look like one when it's defending. I feel SO much better now.
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Whew. I let the cats out.

I was just thinking that if your cats knew it was safe to play with them then most likely they had been in your yard for a while and wouldn't hurt them. you just never noticed.

good for the kittys!!!

but ummm, I dunno if they want to play with snakes in general, specially in Miss

That's right! We've got some bad ones! Good kitty....

Your first clue would have been the fact that, from the shape of it's head, it's NOT a pit viper (i.e., Rattler, Copperhead, or Cottonmouth). Secondly, the coloring is a dead giveaway it's not a coral snake. On that basis, you could have concluded it was not a (U.S.) NATIVE venomous snake.

But, with the things people turn loose nowadays, ya never know !

I agree with crofttk
doesn't look like a pit viper and looks very much like that watersnake in the later photos.
pat the kittie on the head and tell her good hunting!
between the snakes and the cats you shouldn't have a mouse problem this spring

Thanks! Now, instead of asking the snake, I'll be able to tell by looking.

pat the kittie on the head and tell her good hunting!

> Wow, in my neck of the woods it would've been the cat with the lead behind the ear!

I just don't hold with native animals getting taken out by the domestic ones - regardless of species (why are snakes immediately demonised?).

Uh-cause they scare the crap out of me and if it had been the copperhead I thought it was then the kids in the neighborhood were in danger??? This is not the country, I live in a high pop neighborhood with lots of kids. We have at least 5 poisonous snakes in this area that I can think of. Be happy to send them to you so they're safe.
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Sorry if it came across too strong, but I'm tired of the attitude where "if it's something foreign/scary then kill it no question"...

Can't you call in some wildlife service to relocate them? It was their place first...

Re danger to kids: Your own you'd have to look after yourself (warnings, teching them the right behaviour if they see a snake, first aid for bites etc), other people's kids - well, that's really up to their own parents.

I find it more remarkable that it's OK to discharge firearms in a "high pop neighbourhood" (you shot the snake right?).Before this degenerates into a gun debate (I don't want it to) I don't live in the US and I do own guns.




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Unfortunately I live in an area that, if I tried to call someone, I would be laughed at. (hence, having to post a pic here to identify) It's also NOT ok to discharge a firearm here in the city, I was a little paranoid about that but the few times it has been done with snakes the police were ok with it. I generally don't shoot snakes, I do like the way they keep the mice and mole pop down, but as I said before I thought it was a copperhead. I agree wholeheartedly with the "their place first" idealogy, I lived in Alaska where bears were always in the city but, they were there first and we learned to live with them. But, just like spraying spiders and red wasps, I will kill a poisonous snake simply because the children (not all parents are responsible enough to teach them) and my kitties will see it and try to play with it. Maybe since you live in Australia you don't know how people are here-if a kid wandered onto my property and was bitten by a snake I would be sued and I would probably have to pay them.
Anyway, enough said, I didn't think of lawsuits and all that when it happened, my husband and I looked it over (I got it out of the house safely) and determined it was a copperhead (my country living father did too) so it was shot for safety reasons. I guess if it happened again I would do the same, unless I determined it to be nonpoisonous.

Check the country you live in....if it ain't Oz then it's not one of the 10 deadliest.....even a Cobra doesn't make the cut...

Unfortunately I live in an area that, if I tried to call someone, I would be laughed at. (hence, having to post a pic here to identify)

Hmmm... that's a worry We have various services, some run by national parks & wildlife, others are dedicated volunteer groups who you can call - even if you've injured an animal on the road.

I understand that you're not actively going out and murdering wildlife . I guess the sitch is different when the pets bring live animals into the house! (I missed that in your previous writing).

And yes, we're reasonably lucky as far as public liability & law suits go - but it's getting worse by the month.

Chris TH, I can see that I would like your country. I worked for a Police Department here and we would get calls from people that had hit animals on the road that were still alive along with help with wildlife calls and there was absolutely no one to call about it. Even the government agencies had no one that we could call for help. And no, I don't pack my backpack on the weekends and go varmint huntin..

Jafo, that was mean! I know this country, the snakes here can kill pets and children! Rattlesnakes don't often kill adults (most here don't know that but I learned it when I was assigned, as a medic, to a field artillery unit) but water moccasins and copperheads do! Just cause Australia has the 10 most deadliest doesn't mean we don't have some deadly ones.
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