Snake visitor....

[otis226]

Well gents, it appears we were incorrect on the ID. Accessing my snake contacts in the herp underground, the ID verdict was as immediate as it was unanimous -- the cute lil fella is a baby black racer (Coluber constrictor). (And not at all surprising, really, since -- if I am remembering correctly -- you've had a number of racers around your place, Connie.)

Just thought I'd include these shots of what a juvi black racer looks like... at least in Ocala and Central OH.
Cheers,
Tony

[cakedaddy]

Well darn! I was so sure about it being a rat snake! But good news for myself and mostly Connie! After googling a bit, I found that the are very easily confused with juvi rat snakes AND they eat other snakes. They'll keep the bad guys off your patio!
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[pavel]

From what I understand, Tony, the lil uns start taking on that more mature coloration somewhere around the 12" mark. So Connie's visitor was a very young one.

[Cjcorner]

I looked up the juvenile black racer last night and they are exactly what my little guy looked like, right down to the big eyes and the different markings on stomach and the last few inches. It makes sense since I had just had a couple adult black racers on my back porch a week or so before I found this little one. We have them up to 4 ft that i've seen so far. About two months ago I saw the long one at the back fence. I was suprised at how fast they can move. The little guy was pretty fast as well. Thank goodness, having these around means I shouldn't have any trouble with rattlers as racers chase them out of their territory. This is one snake I think I can deal with...lol.