";s:4:"text";s:7977:" Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. In fact eleven different subspecies inhabit almost every state in the lower 48 states. It was about a foot and a half. A reader recently suggested a column be devoted to snakes in … Color plates clear and professional, making identification simple. They are beautiful when they've just shed.
It is listed as ENDANGERED by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and is protected by law in the state. Lila Kennedy, it could have been what I was brought up knowing as a "puff adder" and I think I know what you are talking about. Juvenile Eastern Fox Snakes are paler in color than the adults and have gray or brown blotches bordered in black on the back and more distinctive head markings. I see garter snakes every now and then, they are most common out there. If I came upon a snake basking in a bush, the only racer would be me, away from the bush at top speed! Any ideas? While Michigan documents them in most of the Lower Peninsula counties, their population levels widely differ according to county. Lee, Y. I would really like to know what it was!!!!! To be precise, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources lists 17 separate species you can find within our state.
The inhabit the wetlands areas around the Great Lakes, and are recognized as very good swimmers. Full body length is about 3 feet and I haven't been able to find anything that looks like it so far on the web. Blue Racers, for example are common around the Great Lakes region, including Michigan.
thanks, Mario. (they shake their tails in a similar way). Discover Life's page about the biology, natural history, ecology, identification and distribution of Discover Life 163 kinds match Agkistrodon contortrix [popup] It kept striking until I backed away. It has a hexagon pattern on its body. Massasaugas are found throughout the Lower Peninsula, but not in the Upper Peninsula (thus there are no venomous snakes on the Upper Peninsula mainland.) Press, Fairfax, VA. 282 pp. Eastern Hog Nose Snake 2, photo by ShaneWyatt.. It was about 18 in long and the rest of the body looked much like a garter snake. Michigan's only venomous snake is a rare sight for most state residents. The State of Michigan has enacted legislation to provide for the protection and regulation of native reptiles and Michigan recently amphibians. Shooting of snakes and other reptiles is prohibited. This prejudice begins in our early childhood as we watch television programs and read stories that portray the snake as an evil and dangerous adversary, to be routinely avoided or destroyed. No. Range and Status: Milk snakes are fairly common throughout the Lower Peninsula, but are rare in the Upper Peninsula. may help you. Evers, D.C. 1994. 1997.Amphibians and Reptiles of the Great Lakes Region. Natural communities are not listed in order of frequency of occurrence, but are rather derived from the full set of natural communities, organized by Ecological Group. Management of wetland habitats should include maintaining open conditions, providing adequate nesting sites as well as refugia for young snakes by maintaining and/or providing adequate cover (e.g., downed woody debris) and maintaining suitable hibernacula. However, it is illegal to kill them without reason. Go to michiganherps.webs.com there is picture that could be what your friend saw. While they might bite if threatened, these snakes are not venomous, Fun fact: They have light-colored bellies and will shake their tails when they feel threatened, Where you'll find them: Brown snakes are found throughout the Lower Peninsula and the southern tip of the Upper Peninsula in many areas both residential and rural, Can they harm you?
Instead, they are one of very few types of snakes that give birth to live offspring, Where you'll find them: Most of the Lower Peninsula and the southern tip of the Upper Peninsula, though they are most common in the western and northern Lower Peninsula, mostly in sandy woodland areas, Status: Common but declining in numbers due to an irrational fear by humans who will kill the snake, Fun fact: This snake will play dead if threatened, Where you'll find them: In the Lower Peninsula, inhabiting wetlands during the spring and drier areas in the summer, Status: A species of special concern, protected by state law, Can they harm you? I am worried about the safety issues that it poses. Snakes of eastern North America. Adult length: 3 to 5 feet. Here is a list of all the snakes found here so you can possibly identify the next snake you see. Ernst, C. H. and R. W. Barbour. Protection and management of remaining populations and habitat are crucial for conservation of this species in Michigan. Lansing, MI. The green button leads to pages providing additional snake pictures and information. Any idea what it is? On two occassions it had a much smaller mate with it. Small, with grey and blackish colorings blotted down the body, about 6-8 inches. Range and Status: These snakes are locally common throughout Michigan. I was over twenty feet away. So, you need to pay attention to all the details and markings when identifying a snake. Snakes can't breathe with the gas fumes there so they exit.