snake ID

My nephew just moved from here to Arkansas. He wanted verification.

It is a Northern Water snake.

Copperhead just before shedding by the looks of it

Doesn't the water snake have black lines / patches coming up from the belly on the sides.

Doesn’t look poisonous by the head shape but it would be a dead snake if I saw it. King snakes are the only ones I let live lol

I think Scuba is right. Getting ready to shed the patern looks familiar.

Copperhead Agkistrodon contortrix. ENDANGERED. It is illegal to kill or collect this species by law in Iowa. Although copperheads may be quite common in other parts of their range, they are at the northern limits of their range here and are one of Iowa's rarest snakes


Rat Snake Elaphe obsoleta. PROTECTED. It is illegal to kill or collect this species by law in Iowa. Common in eastern Iowa, records for the southern parts of the state are scattered.

Northern water snakes are by far the most abundant of the three water snake species in Iowa, and also one of the most common large snakes in general. It is often seen by fishermen, who may mistake them for the venomous cottonmouth, which is not found in Iowa

I’m voting eastern rat snake just because of the head shape

Plain-bellied water snake is what it is here is a link https://www.google.com/search?q=pla...iT277PrP_nAhWRmp4KHeK8BcIQ_AUoAHoECAEQAA

I'm thinking copperhead. You can't always go by the head shape in my experience.

Water snake

That is not a copperhead. probably a water snake that will get killed for looking like a water moccasin.

As already mentioned it’s a northern water snake

I have a 100% positive ID... it is, without a doubt... a "Nope Rope"

Water snake

My son is a big time amatuer snake man. He says banded water snake.

Pick it up and look at its eyes...

It looks like a copperhead to me.

water snake, have one living in our spring every year

My standard bet of $20,000 says northern watersnake.
The tell is the dark margin surrounding the brown/tan patches.

It’s a water snake. In Pennsylvania, snakes with rattles are rattlesnakes. All other snakes are coppperheads.

Water snake

Northern water snake. Common name around these parts is banded water snake

Copperhead has more spots not stripes.

He said moved FROM Iowa to Arkansas.

Water snake
Handled a few removing from houses. Snappy little suckers , they like to strike when messed with. Gotta wear protective gear when grabbing them without snake tongs.

Looks a tad dull , maybe due for a shedding soon.

Definitely a venomous water snake. What we call a banded water snake.

Non venomous sorry about that

Northern, Southern and banded water snakes all have an anticoagulant in their saliva, that makes you bleed a lot when bit. They have live births. I had a big female have 46 babies once. In Ohio, the ones I have caught on big bodies of water have mean temperaments and the ones away from water and on small ponds and creeks have been more docile. It's common to see a big female with 20 or more small males trying to breed her all at once in the Spring. It makes it very easy to catch a handful of them, if you don't mind getting bit.

Back when we could sell water snakes I caught hundreds. They never sold well, though they are easy to keep. Their poop stinks really bad, which probably hurt sales.

Keith

I haven't looked but most States will have a site with all their reptiles and amphibians.I am sure he could go there and find it,quickly.If not,look up Northern Water snake.

Carl52,I want a cut of that $20,000!

That looks nothing like a Copperhead. Similar to a Cottonmouth, but as already stated, a banded water snake.

im with the water snake crowd

This conversation had me laughing pretty hard. I first looked at the pic before reading the comments and after a glance said water snake. Then couldn’t believe all of the copperhead votes. Evidently they haven’t killed many copperheads. My mom and dad must have lived by a den. We killed about 15-20 a summer growing up. The head is what is the dead give away among other things. I’ll admit those dang water snakes have made me high step before taking a good look at them though. Have mistaken them for cottonmouths for a second or two.

not with round pupils and not hourglass markings

agreed

yep

Round pupils not venomous

no such thing as a venomous water snake, water snake family (colubridae) is non-venomous.

don't like this copperhead to me

Winner!

I believe it is a Northern Water Snake (Nerodia sipedon). Head shape, pattern, color and pupil. They are found throughout Arkansas (except they are not common in the Delta area). From the photo the head does not have the triangular "cut" of a pit viper and from what I can see in the photo the pupil looks round (not cat-like elliptical shape). I had a bunch of them as pets. Most were docile after being caught. Great hunters of frogs and fish.

God bless and happy trails, Swampfox

It a Northern Water snake sometimes confused for a Southern Copperhead. The nearest look a like is a Brown Water snake.

Thank you all. I gave him your input. He didn't kill the snake.

markings are opposite of copperhead, which is wide at the edges that touch ground and narrow in the middle across the back.

Heres what the same species looked like after it tried to climb in my boat twice last year. I threw it out first time. Second time it started to climbed back in My little 380 pocket pistol changed his mind !!!!!!

Guys its NOT a copper head. Round pupils are the Tell tell feature. NO poisonous snake in NORTH AMERICA has round pupils. Plus head is not flat and triangular enough.

heres a copperhead

https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/herpetology/fl-snakes/list/micrurus-fulvius/

Round eyes plain as day confirmed by Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles. Snopes said it was a fact it’s not a copper head.

Is florida in North America LOL !!! Forgot about that little critter. I stand corrected !!!!!