Another one for the snake experts! Glossy snake?

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dabigboy

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Seems to be a popular topic lately! This little guy turned up in our flower bed. While I was busy keeping my distance and begging my wife and kids to stay away (I HATE SNAKES), my wife decided to coax it into a plastic jar, while my 9 year old son watched with great interest and my 10 year old girl kept admiring it because it was "cute".
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I didn't grow up in OK and I don't know the local snakes very well. We looked at some pics online and are thinking glossy snake, perhaps? Obviously my biggest concern is that it might be venomous. I'm leaning towards not-venomous, but it's kinda hard to tell on such a small snake. Pattern looks like glossy snake, it also has a dark marking on the back of its head. Looks to be maybe 10" long or so.

I gotta say, the snakes seem very active this year. This past weekend, I heard a copperhead turned up at the local Airsoft field, and I've seen two or three non-venomous snakes at the mountain bike trails in the past couple weeks (which is as many as I've seen there in the past 4 years). This is the first time in 10+ years of living here that I've seen a snake of any sort around our house (we live in an older house near downtown Moore, not rural at all).

Matt
 

dennishoddy

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Round eye equals non venomous with one exception and that is the coral snake which only resides in far SE OK and is very distinctive in its coloration.
I'd put it back into the flower bed to eat the insects that may be eating your plants.
It's a good snake.
 

Ready_fire_aim

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I can’t tell exactly what specific snake it is from those pictures, but it definitely isn’t venomous. It’s certainly not any of the 3 (copperhead, water moccasin, or rattler variety)
 

dabigboy

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Thank you so much everyone! I feel a lot better about the little guy. We'll send him back to his flower bed hangout after my wife and kids have finished their "science project" of watching him and taking notes (and yes, we do have bugs eating the plants).

Matt
 

StLPro2A

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Seems to be a popular topic lately! This little guy turned up in our flower bed. While I was busy keeping my distance and begging my wife and kids to stay away (I HATE SNAKES), my wife decided to coax it into a plastic jar, while my 9 year old son watched with great interest and my 10 year old girl kept admiring it because it was "cute".
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I didn't grow up in OK and I don't know the local snakes very well. We looked at some pics online and are thinking glossy snake, perhaps? Obviously my biggest concern is that it might be venomous. I'm leaning towards not-venomous, but it's kinda hard to tell on such a small snake. Pattern looks like glossy snake, it also has a dark marking on the back of its head. Looks to be maybe 10" long or so.

I gotta say, the snakes seem very active this year. This past weekend, I heard a copperhead turned up at the local Airsoft field, and I've seen two or three non-venomous snakes at the mountain bike trails in the past couple weeks (which is as many as I've seen there in the past 4 years). This is the first time in 10+ years of living here that I've seen a snake of any sort around our house (we live in an older house near downtown Moore, not rural at all).

Matt
Doesn't have the viper poisonous wedge-shaped head.
 

StLPro2A

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Round eye equals non venomous with one exception and that is the coral snake which only resides in far SE OK and is very distinctive in its coloration.
I'd put it back into the flower bed to eat the insects that may be eating your plants.
It's a good snake.
All snakes are good. They all play a vital part in the eco-system. Many other animals can kill/injure you, but we don't class them as "good" or "not good."
 

Roadking Larry

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All snakes are good. They all play a vital part in the eco-system. Many other animals can kill/injure you, but we don't class them as "good" or "not good."
Like with real estate, it's all about location, location, location.
Non-venomous snakes are reasonably welcome around the house (outside) and garden.
Venomous snakes close to the house or anywhere myself, my wife my grandkids or my dogs frequent are gonna get deadified PDQ.
Out in the wild away from hearth and home, if they don't bother me I won't bother them.
 

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