my mystery snake

[drache]

We took some photos yesterday with my daughter's cheapo camera.
Not great, but perhaps somewhat useful.
This afternoon I might have a visitor with real camera . . .

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos....php?photo=572
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos....php?photo=571
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos....php?photo=570
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos....php?photo=569

I was trying to get the photos themselves into the post, but couldn't figure out how to do that.

In my album there's also a couple of nice pics of two other household members

[adamanteus]

Looks pretty much like Thamnothis sauritus nitae to me, I'm going off the lack of vertebral stripe. It's difficult to see in the photos; is there any blue colouration in the side stripes?

James.

[Stefan-A]

Anything at all that you could tell us about the snake?

Are you sure it's a thamnophis? Looks a bit like a ribbon, though.

[drache]

I got this snake at the local store, where it was in a tank of Garters.
The sales clerk told me that it had come in with a shipment of garters and that he had kept it for a while, but he didn't want to bother with Garters any more, so he brought his entire collection (3 snakes) back to the store.
He told me it was a Vine Snake. The snake has some dark scarring on one side which I suspect were caused be heat rocks. I will refrain here from voicing my opinion of the sales clerk.
The colouring, which hard to see in the photos, is olive and yellow - no blue whatsovever.
I do think it's a ribbon snake, because I saw this picture of a Thamnophis proximus rubrilineatus on Wikipedia and at first glance it looked totally like my snake (poor eye-sight). But then I realized that this would still be true, if that red stripe was more brown.
Who breeds these guys anyway?
The no comment sales clerk told me it was captive bred, but coming from him I don't take that to mean anything.
Of all the food items offered, the snake is only interested in fish. Good hunter.

[Sid]

I would guess this to be T. sauritus sauritus " Eastern Ribbon". The color is correct and it's not uncommon for them to lack a dorsal strip.

Sid

[drache]

in the Bartlett book - Garter and Ribbon Snakes - there's a portrait on the bottom of page 33 of a Gulf Coast ribbon Snake from near Brownsville,TX. That is the colouring of my snake - except that the dorsal stripe which does start out yellow at the head, turns into a dull brownish olive after (can't check right now) about 5-10mm.

[drache]

I forgot to mention the eyes.
They have that reddish-golden rim around the pupil - very pretty

[Cazador]

Hi Rhea,

I'm certainly not one of the people you want to rely on for snake ID info, but if it's a ribbon snake, its upper labials will be whitish. There will also be a vertical white bar immediately in front of the eyes. These characteristics (as well as general body shape) distinguish garter snakes from ribbon snakes.

All,
Are there any ribbon snakes that lack these features?

Rick

[Stefan-A]

I can't see any white bar in front of the eye because the picture is so blurry, but the supralabials are whitish, or at least there are no markings present. And the lateral stripe is high enough for it to be a ribbon.

Thought "Masticophis" for a second there, but it seemed wrong after looking at a couple of pics. Anyway, they should have the same bar in front of the eye as the ribbon snakes.

[drache]

there is nothing white on this snake anywhere, but in front of the left eye there is a thin, bright, pale yellow vertical stripe. On the right side there's just a little spot though.