| Cacique Caribe | 03 Sep 2017 5:11 p.m. PST |
What species is this? Do any of you know? Alligators and other snakes (moccasins, copperheads, rattlers, garters, etc) I'm used to in our neighborhood. We've always had those. But I can't identify that particular snake. Is it imported? Thanks, Dan
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 StoneMtnMinis  | 03 Sep 2017 9:11 p.m. PST |
A wet one?  |
| StoneMtnMinis | 03 Sep 2017 9:13 p.m. PST |
Might be an escaped "pet' python. Dave |
| Cacique Caribe | 03 Sep 2017 10:06 p.m. PST |
Oh man, I hope not. Those things can get pretty big. And the smallest of my dogs would make a tasty snack for a full grown python. Dan |
 piper909 | 03 Sep 2017 10:32 p.m. PST |
Definitely some kind of big constrictor. Our venomous ones don't get that big. I think it's a shame that ancient rattler in Corpus had to get jumped on and killed by that guy. |
| TheBeast | 04 Sep 2017 7:16 a.m. PST |
Might be an escaped "pet' python. I'm assuming nearly correct; quick read suggests Houston has plenty of surrounding wetlands. Might be a former pet, or progeny of same. Florida native wildlife is threatened by escaped constrictors becoming dominant 'native' preditors. I'd hardly be surprised if there was some of that around Houston. Doug |
| Cacique Caribe | 04 Sep 2017 10:55 a.m. PST |
Damn! If it's an alien species … I might have to pay the neighborhood kids to go hunt me some darn aliens! :) We have lots of families with toddlers around here. Dan
EDIT-
I've gone ahead and contacted the Houston Zoo and the Newsdesk of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. I hope they can track down the source of the photo and that they can address this problem quickly before we have a full-blown python infestation like Florida's. |
| Cacique Caribe | 04 Sep 2017 7:28 p.m. PST |
Just received this from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Dept: "The photo of the snake climbing the wall is a Tx rat snake. Nonvenomous and native." I have to say I'm extremely relieved to hear that. And those excellent snakes to have in our neighborhood with all our waterways. Dan |
| Shagnasty | 05 Sep 2017 12:08 p.m. PST |
That was going to be my guess after reading all the posts. I had a confrontation with one almost that big in my backyard some years ago. |
| Cacique Caribe | 05 Sep 2017 4:39 p.m. PST |
I've seen rat snakes before, but they have always been small. I didn't know that they grew that big. Dan |
| BrianW | 06 Sep 2017 10:55 p.m. PST |
Damn Dan, that is a BIG rat snake. |
| Cacique Caribe | 11 Sep 2017 11:17 p.m. PST |
Brian, you should see the pictures of the water moccasin that a friend of the family killed yesterday in the flood debris in our front yard. It's about 20-22 inches long and very fat. One of our friends went to pick up some trash and it was already poised to strike. Not a good thing now that people are bringing entire families back into the neighborhoods to clean and salvage items. Dan |
has been spending time in paradise lately.
