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what kind of snake did my 6 year old kill?


Trigger Mike

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does anyone know what kind of snake this is? My 6 year old killed it today with a stick. He killed a squirrell with a toy gun Sunday.

looks like a grass snake.

 

kk

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Grass, Garden or Gopher Snake, non-venomous. Wrong snake to kill there a blessing to farms and gardens. He's lucky

it wasn't a venomous snake. The head is a good indicator.

I would look for a book on snakes at a garage or flea market.

Happy trails

QDG

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Here's a guide to Georgia species. Snakes

Being as how you're in Georgia my guess would be a Rough Earth snake or it's cousin the Smooth Earth Snake. Both can be found in the region. Non-venomous (as most snakes are).

Leave em be and they won't bother you.

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Here's a guide to Georgia species. Snakes

Being as how you're in Georgia my guess would be a Rough Earth snake or it's cousin the Smooth Earth Snake. Both can be found in the region. Non-venomous (as most snakes are).

Leave em be and they won't bother you.

Thanks. I showed it to him and book marked it and told him to study it.

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Well with snakes a general rule of thumb is the shape of the head. If the head is shaped like an arrowhead then it is more than likely venomous, a rounded head is usually non-venomous. If you see one with red, yellow, and black stripes...just stay away. In any case though the best course of action is just to leave it alone. It won't harm you unless you provoke it. They take care of pests and vermin.

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For some people, there is an almost instinctive negative reaction to the sight of a snake, any snake. Unfortunately, I am one of them. For some unknown reason, snakes are the ONLY creature that disturbs me, generating a attack response at the sight of one nearby. I have learned to control that response, not without some effort, because intellectually I am well aware that most snakes are actually beneficial to us.

 

I still can vividly recall the entire sequence of what happened one time in my youth (back towards the middle of the last century) when I was walking along a path in the woods with a pistol on my hip. There was a sudden rustling in the leaves right at my feet and on looking all I saw was SNAKE! Without even thinking I drew and had 10 shots into that poor snake before I realized that it was a harmless garter snake, albeit a big one. I immediately felt bad but, in my defense, there were copperheads in the area. Ever after I always paid careful attention to where I was putting my feet and never again had a similar experience. Yeah, I know it wasn't the snakes fault, it was mine. At that age, my reflexes were a lot faster than my thought processes.

 

Not sure why I felt compelled to relate that story but there it is. Yes, I do know better now.

 

Warhorse

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Warhorse,

 

I hate snakes. The only thing I can think of that I would kill on sight without giving it a second thought. I know that are good and bad ones, but I have always been that way. Just thought I would let you know you are not alone.

 

Maddog McCoy

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If the red and yellow stripes touch it is a Coral snake, very venomous. Red and yellow stires with black stripes in between is a King snake. Non-venomous and protected as it is endangered. Be careful about killing snakes, many of them are now endangered and protected and the fines a big if you get caught.

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For some people, there is an almost instinctive negative reaction to the sight of a snake, any snake. Unfortunately, I am one of them. For some unknown reason, snakes are the ONLY creature that disturbs me, generating a attack response at the sight of one nearby. I have learned to control that response, not without some effort, because intellectually I am well aware that most snakes are actually beneficial to us.

 

I still can vividly recall the entire sequence of what happened one time in my youth (back towards the middle of the last century) when I was walking along a path in the woods with a pistol on my hip. There was a sudden rustling in the leaves right at my feet and on looking all I saw was SNAKE! Without even thinking I drew and had 10 shots into that poor snake before I realized that it was a harmless garter snake, albeit a big one. I immediately felt bad but, in my defense, there were copperheads in the area. Ever after I always paid careful attention to where I was putting my feet and never again had a similar experience. Yeah, I know it wasn't the snakes fault, it was mine. At that age, my reflexes were a lot faster than my thought processes.

 

Not sure why I felt compelled to relate that story but there it is. Yes, I do know better now.

 

Warhorse

 

I have the same reaction to finding a mouse or packrat in my reloading room! Stage writers take note....reptiles and rodents!

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Warhorse,

 

I hate snakes. The only thing I can think of that I would kill on sight without giving it a second thought. I know that are good and bad ones, but I have always been that way. Just thought I would let you know you are not alone.

 

Maddog McCoy

 

+1

 

It may be in my genes, Mom, bless her soul, could not watch a movie scene with a snake in it, she would leave the room or cover her eyes. She was just deathly afraid of snakes, and I don't know why.

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Many people are deathly afraid of snakes. I'm not one of them. Now spiders, they kind of give me the willies.

 

I know there is no scientific explanation or proof, but I kinda believe in inherited memories. Maybe the folks that are totally afraid of snakes have inherited that fear. There's really no other explanation. Well, growing up around people that have always said snakes are evil and all deserve to be killed might be another reason.

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Sometimes back in early 80s, I was competing in a Western Trail Class outside Waco, TX. We had gone through the lope-over 4 poles, I did the required putting on and removing slicker, and was doing the last, opening mail box. Looking down I saw this big Black Racer going across my horses front hooves. My mind raced, she was going to rear up, or move sideways quickly, throwing me off. She didn't blink or move a foot, and I finished the course. To this day, I still wonder why she didn't move, maybe she knew the competition, because I seen her jump many times before at snakes. And I hate snakes also. But that, at the moment was the biggest Black snake I ever saw. MT

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If the red and yellow stripes touch it is a Coral snake, very venomous. Red and yellow stires with black stripes in between is a King snake. Non-venomous and protected as it is endangered. Be careful about killing snakes, many of them are now endangered and protected and the fines a big if you get caught.

 

 

Remember, "red and yellow, kills a fellow, red and black, friend of jack".

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My Mom related a story to me about when my uncle Opey (really, and way before Mayberry) heard a comotion in the hen house. He figured there was a possum out there and went to investigate. He came back in shortly looking very pale and unable to say a word. After an hour or so he related as when he was looking down at the floor for a possoum he should have been looking up at the rafters for a chicken snake. The snake was so engorged from eating eggs it slipped off the rafter and landed on the back of his neck. As snakes are want to do it whipped its tail around his neck to hold on and that was when the fight broke out.

 

There is still some debate as to whether there has actually ever been a 10 ft long chicken snake, but Opey swore he had seen one.

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If the red and yellow stripes touch it is a Coral snake, very venomous. Red and yellow stires with black stripes in between is a King snake. Non-venomous and protected as it is endangered. Be careful about killing snakes, many of them are now endangered and protected and the fines a big if you get caught.

 

In my youth, My dad taught me this phrase:

 

"Red touch black, friendly jack, red touch yellow, bad fellow"

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I must say I AM IMPRESSED with the responses here.

NOT ONE PERSON used the word "poisonous".

There are NO poisonous snakes.

They are venomous.

I cringe everytime I see my reference book entitled "Poisonous Snakes of the Southwest".

 

 

And, as has been stated by others before me, snakes are beneficial. They eat rodents and other vermin. Even venomous snakes are beneficial- just dont startle them (all snakes are deaf..so they wont hear you coming).

 

My dad, may he rest in peace, also HATED snakes! When we got a Burmese Python as a pet he got the willies just being in the room with it...at first. But as we acclimated him to it, he actually got to like the neck massage it would give.

 

FWIW...YMMV...SOso

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Hi Pards,

 

I'm not fond of snakes; but, I wouldn't kill one unless I knew it was venemous. I just run the other way from all.

 

They are wonderful for keeping rodents, especially those darn ground squirrels and gophers, away.

 

Tree squirrels, I have no clue why you would want to kill them. They take the pine cones off the trees. This prevents you from getting "bonked on the head" by one.

 

Regards,

 

Allie "who likes the few tree squirrels we have" Mo

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At least you can see a snake (most of the time), now spiders like the Black Widow and Recluse are scary creatures!

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I had an great-uncle that HATED all snakes. My dad was a wood carver when I was in the BSA. He would carve neckerchief slides for the kids. He showed about a dozen of them to my great-uncle, one of them being a coiled rattler. It ended up across the room :lol:

 

 

TF

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Fear of snakes is generally not instinctive. It is a learned behavior. Show most little 2-3 year old kids a snake and they'll grab it.

They learn fear of them later on from adults.

I knew a lady from the Dominican Republic who was more afraid of snakes that any person I've ever met.

She was convinced they were the personification of evil.

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He did not kill it because he was afraid of it, he thought it was the right thing to do. We have a squirrell family living in our gutters and I have been trying to get rid of them before they work their way back into the attic(I closed the hole they once used). I think he thought any creature too close to the house needs killing before he gets in the house. This one was right by the house and he has 2 younger siblings so he felt he was protecting us. He played with it afterwards, scared his friend with it. Him and his younger brother keep digging it up. He seems inclined to protect others. Once he was afraid of the dark and the creatures under his bed so I put my arm under there to show him nothing was there and then pretneded something had grabbed me and would not let me go and he immediately worked to get my arm free to save me from the monster, despite his fear. I was impressed he would over come his fear to help others. It's a good trait to have.

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Hi Pards,

 

I'm not fond of snakes; but, I wouldn't kill one unless I knew it was venemous. I just run the other way from all.

 

They are wonderful for keeping rodents, especially those darn ground squirrels and gophers, away.

 

Tree squirrels, I have no clue why you would want to kill them. They take the pine cones off the trees. This prevents you from getting "bonked on the head" by one.

 

Regards,

 

Allie "who likes the few tree squirrels we have" Mo

 

Cuz if you can get nuff of them, they are good eatting !

 

 

 

When I was posted in the P.I., came home and ainaml contol truck was sitting in my car port, and 13..........yes 13 full grown men came out of my back yard with a phyon they had drugged. The picture was in the Stars and Stripes.

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I'm with you , Pulp. Spiders are not my cup... I don't pick up snakes though..which was a good thing. When I was a kid mowing the lawn I saw a small gray-brown snake so I played around with it. I thought it was kinda neat the way he would coil and strike at my shoe. Not to worry because we didn't have rattle snakes in No. Illinois....or so I thought...my Grandfather killed a rather large Timberland rattler with a sythe sometime after that...lesson...don't grab what cha don't know.

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1965, I was in Michigan at Boy Scout Camp. We were catching Water Moccasins and told the Ranger about it. he said that Water Moccasins don't live that far north. he almost crapped his drawers when we dropped a burlap sack on his desk with 6 of them in there.... To this day, the area's still posted as having Water Moccasins in the area.. We skinned a bunch of them and made hat bands and such. I always heard that Rattlesnake was a delicacy and I figured "Snake is snake"... Boy was I wrong.... It tasted like a 3 month old Gym Sock.....

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Hi Pards,

 

I'm not fond of snakes; but, I wouldn't kill one unless I knew it was venemous. I just run the other way from all.

 

They are wonderful for keeping rodents, especially those darn ground squirrels and gophers, away.

 

Tree squirrels, I have no clue why you would want to kill them. They take the pine cones off the trees. This prevents you from getting "bonked on the head" by one.

 

Regards,

 

Allie "who likes the few tree squirrels we have" Mo

 

Ye kill tree squirrels so ye kin dredge their skint parts in milk and flour and fry 'em in a skillet. Then hopefully the gravy in the skillet gets just right thick enuff about the same time as the biscuits get done bakin'.

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Ye kill tree squirrels so ye kin dredge their skint parts in milk and flour and fry 'em in a skillet. Then hopefully the gravy in the skillet gets just right thick enuff about the same time as the biscuits get done bakin'.

plus you kill them so they won't get in your attic and damage your house, like chew through the wires and start a fire. Saw on the news once where a woman was arrested when the house caught fire and killed her children. It looked like the fire started in the closet with paint as an accellerant. Later they said a squirrell chewed the wires in the attic causing a fire which dropped down into the paint closet.

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