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The following characteristics can be used to identify a snake:
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The first thing you should do when trying to identify a snake
is to identify the length of the snake. Most snakes in the
United States grow 7 inches to 6 feet in length, but some
can grow larger. The size of the snake varies upon what type species
they are. Try to categorize the snake into three sizes, Small, Medium,
and Large.
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Another thing you should when trying to identify a snake, is to
consider what type of body shape the snake has. A snakes body
changes from head to tail, so try to decide if the snake is Slender,
Typical, or Stout. Many times a snakes body shape may be hard
to identify. It depends upon state of the snake when you find it.
Since snakes swallow their meals whole, their body shape may
change after eating, causing a slender snake to look much like a
stout snake. A snakes body shape is very important to identify the
species of that snake.
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The head and neck shape is an important role of identifying a
snake. Ask your self, Does the snake have a Medium Head?
Broad Head? or does it appear to have No Neck? Then ask
yourself, Does the snake appear to have a Rounded Head or
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Snakes have many different colors and patterns. That’s
why this is important to know the snakes color and pattern
when identifying a snake. Is the snake Linear Mulitcolored,
Banded, Colored Head, Spotted, Striped, Blotched, or appear to have
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The scale texture on a snake can be Smooth (normally
appears to be shiny and rounded), Weakly Keeled (normally
appears slightly shiny and slightly diamond shaped), or
Keeled (normally appears not to be shiny and diamond shaped).
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If you can see the snakes pupil without getting too close to
the snake, distinguish if the snake has cat-like Vertical Pupils
or Rounded Pupils. In Southeastern United States you can
determine if the snake is venomous by the eyes. The venomous
snakes have elliptical pupils while the non-venomous snakes
have rounded pupils, except for the venomous Coral Snake
which has rounded pupils.
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To identify a Snake that you saw. Click one of the links below.
This is for snakes in Eastern United States
http://www.snakesandfrogs.com/scra/ident/protocol1.htm
http://www.snakesandfrogs.com/scra/ident/protocol2.htm
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