Copperhead in my yard?

I was mowing yesterday with a push mower, it had been a while with all the rain and the grass has gotten a little taller than usual. I see something out of the corner of my eye, look, and see a snake going back past me. Kind of freaked me out until I remembered my phone was in my pocket so I got some pics.

I'm debating whether or not its a Copperhead or a Prairie Kingsnake. No pics of head or tail which would help, but the tail was yellowish which leans copperhead. It's head was shaped like an arrowhead or an alligators head, but it did not seem as thickly built as copperheads do in photos. Anyway, any experts?

Copperhead:

Kingsnake:

Looks like a common rat snake to me. Tell him where the local chipmunk holes are.

If you look at a copperhead from the side, the stripe pattern looks like it's got Hershey's Kisses down its body, with the tops going up to its center line. This one looks more blotchy. I vote not a copperhead.

cornsnake or king, the banding on the copperheads is continuous. I had a corn snake that I thought was an immature king for about 6 years. Prior to that I didn't even know that corns had that color profile as I was used to the bright red, black and yellow corns (which I've also had) corns are super friendly as well, as long as you down pick them up from above like a raptor would. Your king will have a flatter head with less shape to it, and a thicker body.

Corn is below, notice the touches of yellow

Many North American venomous snakes have eliptical pupils, too.

The yellow tail is a characteristic of juvenile copperheads.

My neighbor says "Cat eyes- kill it." I don't care to get close enough to see their eyes. Anyway, around here pencil head snakes are non-venomous. The venomous ones have wide heads.

Some snakes that look a bit like copperheads to the untrained eye, such as the Northern Water Snake, flatten their heads out if they feel threatened. The shape isn't exact.

Water Snake

Aggravated

Relaxed

Young Copperhead

I'm going not copperhead too. Leave him, hes good.

Also, not all rat snakes are friendly. I had an interesting situation where I was trying to move one out of the road and the thing went straight Cobra on me....I have it all on video.

In reply to Enyar:

rat snakes have interesting personalities, some are friendly, others are full on honey badger. Corns are consistently more friendly. Kings don't like to be berkleyed with (but they love to eat other snakes, short of raid birds next for eggs other snakes are their favorite treat, so if you don't like snakes, leave the king snakes be)

I used to have a large black rat snake that lived in my shed. I don't think of them as very dangerous, but he kinda looked at me like "you do your thing and I won't bother you, and I'll do mine and you don't bother me". He was a big sucker so that was OK with me. No clue what your snake is but I vote "don't touch it" regardless.

My wife has an absolute irrational fear of snakes. All of them. My job is to dispatch any and all of them that I find in the yard no matter how many mice or moles or whatever else they eat will live. I should post this in the minor confession thread, but I kill snakes on sight no matter the species if they are in my yard. I don't bother them in the woods or any place other than in my yard.

I understand the "need" for snakes .. but what I don't understand is the need (at least here) for the venomous snakes … don't know of any pests that they take care of that non venomous snakes can't do just as well

In reply to T.J.:

My wife is the same way so if I see it I say nothing, if she sees it I have to kill it or catch hell until I relent, no matter what kind it is. I don't mind killing a poisonous snake in my yard but despise killing a harmless snake.

Funny story: one day I heard a blood curdling scream from the other side of my house. I knew from the sound that she had seen a snake. I went around to check on her and she demanded that I get something and kill it (a species of king snake). She had a hoe in her hand so I pulled it out of the flower bed . . . in two halves. She had cut it in half before she saw it which caused it to thrash around and then of course she saw it.

I'm gonna vote non-copperhead too. I have a rather large rat snake that lives in my yard, he looks somewhat similar to that. I leave him alone and he keeps the yard clear.

I did end up with an albino snake with black rectangles on his back in the garage. Never did find out what that one was.

racerdave600 wrote: I did end up with an albino snake with black rectangles on his back in the garage. Never did find out what that one was.

I would've loved to have seen that guy

Looks like an Eastern Milk snake to me. 24 to 52 inches. Long and skinny so it can fit down burrows and eats rodents. My kids bring them home often. Incredibly friendly once you get them calmed down. When they are cornered, they will wiggle their tails in leaves and such to make a pretend rattle. You won't see them unless you go looking for them. They are strictly nocturnal. A copperhead won't run from you. Those things are mean, short and thick. Think angry dwarf of the snake world.

T.J. wrote: My wife has an absolute irrational fear of snakes. All of them. My job is to dispatch any and all of them that I find in the yard no matter how many mice or moles or whatever else they eat will live. I should post this in the minor confession thread, but I kill snakes on sight no matter the species if they are in my yard. I don't bother them in the woods or any place other than in my yard.

Catch and release!

Eastern Washington state is much easier:

• Rattle? run

• No Rattle? meh

Western Washington:

• What's a snake?

T.J. wrote: My wife has an absolute irrational fear of snakes. All of them. My job is to dispatch any and all of them that I find in the yard no matter how many mice or moles or whatever else they eat will live. I should post this in the minor confession thread, but I kill snakes on sight no matter the species if they are in my yard. I don't bother them in the woods or any place other than in my yard.

Most of my family is the same way, the only good snake is a dead snake, blah blah blah. Then there's my dad and I who stop to help snakes across the road and sidewalk.

Another vote for non-copperhead.

Garlic, butter, white wine.

Here's that cobra rat snake I slowly dragged off the road.

http://vid50.photobucket.com/albums/f320/blueovalstanggt/2015/IMG_1245_zpsxak5axfk.mp4

In reply to Enyar:

Yeah I'd say it was slightly irritated.

In reply to Enyar:

I can't see the video, nevermind saw that it's a rat. Find a hognose snake, those guys are hilarious with their bluffing.