King Snake in a Tree - My Morning Visitor

[edward]

Definitely a king snake a fairly large one. I had never seen one in a tree before so I went to the house and brought back the camera. The snake definitely didn't want to show his face. It was so long I couldn't even get the whole length in the view finder.

http://img258.imageshack.us/img258/2310/1000264jpgsnaketree2rh8.jpg

 

[edward]

We meet at last

After playing cat and mouse (or man and snake) I finally climbed the tree just as the critter decided to turn in my direction and we met face to face.

http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/7590/snakene5.jpg

They are non poisonous and quite harmless. My biggest danger was the possibility of falling out of the tree.

 

[scorpa]

Oh dear that is a big one! Reminds me of one I found last summer. I think it was a bull snake possibly. I was weed spraying at a cemetary, got off the quad to do some adjustments, turned around in time to see a massive snake slithering out from a hole in the side of a grave. It moved out on top of the grave and completely stretched out across the grave, which was about 6 feet. I had never seen a snake that big before outside a zoo haha. I have never seen a snake in a tree before though! That is neat.

 

[Evo]

AARRRGHHH! Flying tree snakes.

A few years ago, I tookk my girls and a neighbor's child on a nature walk at the arboreum. Needless to say a snake dropped out of a tree onto the girls. They have been traumatized since. They can't walk under a tree without fearing a snake attack.

 

[edward]

AARRRGHHH! Flying tree snakes.

A few years ago, I tookk my girls and a neighbor's child on a nature walk at the arboreum. Needless to say a snake dropped out of a tree onto the girls. They have been traumatized since. They can't walk under a tree without fearing a snake attack.

LOL my wife couldn't even watch. edit: come to think of it the snake falling on me may have been my second greatest danger.
That son of a gun was big.

 

[lisab]

What a beauty!

I like snakes, and I like graveyards, but the thought of a snake coming out of a grave is creepy .

 

[Evo]

What a beauty!

I like snakes, and I like graveyards, but the thought of a snake coming out of a grave is creepy .

I'm with hypaytia on this one, snakes creep me out.

I saw an article recently about a new "legless lizard" that was found, and yes, it looks exactly like a snake.

 

[edward]

I'm with hypaytia on this one, snakes creep me out.

I saw an article recently about a new "legless lizard" that was found, and yes, it looks exactly like a snake.

Snakes are a fact of life in the southwest. The king snake like the one in the pictures will eat rattlesnakes. This one looked like it had.

http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/refpages/RefMedia.aspx?refid=461543808

 

[Danger]

I have no problem with snakes whatsoever, as long as I know that they aren't venomous. Someone told me that those without triangular heads are okay, but I don't trust that too much.
Edward, what the hell were you thinking? Go back to the house and grab your camera? You twit, you should have gone back to the house and fired up the barbecue. There are at least half a dozen snake burgers in that critter.

 

[Moonbear]

I like snakes, as long as I know they're non-poisonous (I like looking at the poisonous ones too, but only behind glass at the zoo). I think I'd be startled, to say the least, of finding one that big in my yard though. I'm used to little garter snakes not much wider than a garden hose and not much more than 3 ft long (yeah, the ones you mistake FOR a garden hose at first).

 

[edward]

I have no problem with snakes whatsoever, as long as I know that they aren't venomous. Someone told me that those without triangular heads are okay, but I don't trust that too much.
Edward, what the hell were you thinking? Go back to the house and grab your camera? You twit, you should have gone back to the house and fired up the barbecue. There are at least half a dozen snake burgers in that critter.

I want that bad boy to stay around and help me out with an overpopulation of pack rats.
The coyotes are getting lazy.

 

[GeorginaS]

Edward, if you don't mind me asking, where on earth do you live that creatures of that size and persuasion slither into your backyard?

 

[edward]

Edward, if you don't mind me asking, where on earth do you live that creatures of that size and persuasion slither into your backyard?

I live in Southern Arizona. When I moved here I was six miles from the Tucson city limits. Now it is more like six blocks. High density housing developments have driven a lot of wildlife into the older more open ( I am on a one acre lot) neighborhoods.

7 houses per acre doesn't leave much room for wildlife.

I had never seen a bobcat in my area until several years ago, now they are quite abundant. Coyotes have always been around but very skittish, now they show no fear of humans.

The kings snakes have always been in the area and they are harmless. I have never seen one this large and I must admit I was a bit startled when I looked up and saw the snake up in the tree.

 

[binzing]

Where are you ed? My mom and i once caught a huge bullsnake in our back yard...I don't feel like telling the whole story now though

 

[Danger]

want that bad boy to stay around and help me out with an overpopulation of pack rats.

Ahhh... point taken. I had not considered that aspect of it. (Alberta is rat-free, so we don't tend to think about it.)