Please Help Correct False Article

[PsychedelicTarantulas]

Man Finds Snake In Toilet On Bathroom Break From Hell (PHOTO)


I am about sick of these articles. Please click the link below the article to suggest a correction by huffingtonpost and inform them that the snake is a Rat Snake and has no fangs or venom. Oh and email the author while you are at it. Hilary.hanson@huffingtonpost.com

[PsychedelicTarantulas]

Wow I already got a reply! I didn't expect a reply at all.

On Thu, Jul 10, 2014 at 1:56 PM, <patrickbull1985@gmail.com> wrote:
Entry id: 5574209
Entry title: Man Finds Snake In Toilet On Bathroom Break From Hell (PHOTO)
Entry url: Man Finds Snake In Toilet On Bathroom Break From Hell (PHOTO)
Author name: Hilary Hanson




Submission type: correction
Username: Patrick Bull
Email: patrickbull1985@gmail.com




Kind of error: Factual or typographical


That is a harmless rat snake. They lack fangs and have no venom.... It gets old seeing these stories calling harmless snakes cottonmouth's or copperheads.




This correction submission came from the Contributions form at Man Finds Snake In Toilet On Bathroom Break From Hell (PHOTO)

Hilary Hanson <hilary.hanson@huffingtonpost.com>
1:22 PM (1 hour ago)


to me
Hi Patrick,


Thanks for writing in -- the info about it being a cottonmouth came from the police officer's assessment, but I have to admit I personally am not able to identify snakes. What makes you believe it's a rat snake?


Thank you for the help!


Hilary

Patrick Bull <patrickbull1985@gmail.com>
2:26 PM (2 minutes ago)


to Hilary
I've been keeping and breeding snakes and tarantulas since I was a child. I help moderate the herpsofarkansas.com forums and am a member of several reptile and tarantula forums. I keep and breed the exact species pictured. I'm also an avid field herper and have captured countless rat snakes and cottonmouths both.


Pattern and Body/Head size and shape is a dead give away, as well as length. It looks nothing like a cottonmouth and completely like a Rat Snake. Just about any amateur herper could easily ID that snake from those pics. I don't want to sound rude but us "Snake People" get tired of every single snake being called a cottonmouth or copperhead....


You need to read this blog by a herper more advanced than me on this story. Living Alongside Wildlife: Rat Snake Freakout: Cottonmouth in an Alabama Toilet Edition


Also please read this Toilet snake's identity stirs up waves of questions: What did Hueytown police fish out? | AL.com


Thanks for taking the time to look into this!

[PsychedelicTarantulas]

Success!!!!!

Hilary Hanson
2:28 PM (23 minutes ago)


to me
Thank you, Patrick! May I quote you in the story?

Hilary Hanson
2:28 PM (23 minutes ago)


to me
also thank you for the link!

Hilary Hanson
2:39 PM (13 minutes ago)


to me
Just wanted to let you know I updated the story with a link to Steen's blog. The story now reads:


"Hueytown Police stated that the snake was a venomous cottonmouth, but snake experts disagree.


Wildlife ecologist David Steen writes that the snake in question is "clearly and unequivocally" a rat snake, a harmless animal that has no fangs and is common on the East Coast."


Thanks again for bringing this to our attention.

Patrick Bull <patrickbull1985@gmail.com>
2:51 PM (2 minutes ago)


to Hilary
Wow!!! Such a fast reply. I honestly expected to never see a reply. Reminds me of why I love huffington and read daily. Feel free to quote me.

[BLUESIRTALIS]

Glad you got this story corrected.

[d_virginiana]

Haha, nice.

Honestly, I'd kind of like to randomly find snakes just hanging out in my workplace (when I'm not doing fieldwork... the snakes are kind of a given there).

[guidofatherof5]

Unusual to get a response at all, let alone one so quickly. Glad it is working out.

[chris-uk]

Well done, I'm impressed by any corrections let alone the speed of this.

[mikem]

Good job!