# Need help identifying snake **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 17, 2002, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-identifying-snake/124352 "2002-08-17T16:41:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![GopherGod72](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f0a364/32.png) [@GopherGod72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GopherGod72)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2002, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-identifying-snake/124352/21 "2002-08-19T17:36:00Z")
Sounds like a type of Carpet Python to me. tomndebb… thats true but only for north american species. ---
**Author:** ![Kreekurmudgeon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9f8e36/32.png) [@Kreekurmudgeon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kreekurmudgeon)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2002, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-identifying-snake/124352/22 "2002-08-19T19:38:16Z")
Thanks, Lady Venom and GopherGod72 for the python suggestions. It’s not the green one at the link, but the general shape is right. Add a lateral yellowish stripe down each side and some hash marks of the same color, and we’ve got it nailed. I’m gonna grab a quick cup of coffee and a mouse and launch a python safari. ---
**Author:** ![Stana\_Claus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stana_claus/32/13874_2.png) [@Stana\_Claus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stana_Claus)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2002, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-identifying-snake/124352/23 "2002-08-19T19:46:18Z")
Perhaps it was someone’s pet [Emerald Tree Boa](http://www.boakingdom.com/emeraldphotos.html) that escaped into the wild? Might be worth a look while you are surfing with the pythons. ---
**Author:** ![booklover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/85f322/32.png) [@booklover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/booklover)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2002, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-identifying-snake/124352/24 "2002-08-19T21:21:59Z")
Howzabout an olive python? Most pythons have pretty distinct patterns but this seems to be more of an all-over dark green. [http://www.tbc.net/~gknaack/pics/pythons/olive.html](http://www.tbc.net/~gknaack/pics/pythons/olive.html) At this point, I’m desperate to know what the durn snake is! ---
**Author:** ![Motog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85e7bf/32.png) [@Motog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motog)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2002, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-identifying-snake/124352/25 "2002-08-20T02:11:38Z")
How about a [Diamond python](http://www.photovault.com/Link/Animals/Reptiles/Snakes/Species/DiamondPython.html). Pretty common in eastern Australia and often kept as pets -at least by people who keep snakes as pets. BTW that site gives links to a lot of other pictures of snakes while [this](http://www.nnsw.quik.com.au/khearn/mainhtml/images.html) site gives a good coverage of Australian pythons with a lot of photos (including the rather unfortunately named Children’s Python) ---
**Author:** ![Lady\_Venom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9fc348/32.png) [@Lady\_Venom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lady_Venom)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2002, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-identifying-snake/124352/26 "2002-08-20T12:37:18Z")
Any luck yet? Enquiring minds wanna know!! hehe ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2002, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-identifying-snake/124352/27 "2002-08-20T13:04:21Z")
> [@](#): > > Could it be a Green Tree Python? > [@](#): > > Sounds like a type of Carpet Python to me. > [@](#): > > Howzabout an olive python? > [@](#): > > How about a Diamond python… > …Australian pythons… > …the rather unfortunately named Children’s Python. Could me a **Monty Python**. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2002, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-identifying-snake/124352/28 "2002-08-20T13:06:05Z")
“be”. :o ---
**Author:** ![Motog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85e7bf/32.png) [@Motog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motog)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2002, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-identifying-snake/124352/29 "2002-08-21T23:12:43Z")
So have you worked out what it was yet? Just curious. ---
**Author:** ![Kreekurmudgeon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9f8e36/32.png) [@Kreekurmudgeon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kreekurmudgeon)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2002, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-identifying-snake/124352/30 "2002-08-22T00:01:12Z")
Thanks for all the help. I’ve looked at lots of sources I hadn’t found before, and lots and lots of pictures, but I’m still coming up blank, as in batting zero. While I didn’t know there were so many pythons in the world, I now think it wasn’t one of them. The head just isn’t right. This snake had a head shaped more like that of a pit viper. I keep going back to Smeghead’s remark about a garden hose with sprinkler attached. That’s a good start on a visualization. A green garden hose, somewhat mildewed, with a yellow stripe down each side, and a tapering tail. Add hashmarks to match the stripe and put on a triangular head, considerable wider than the body. Make it about five to six feet long and let it slither in a snakey manner. I know it exists because I saw it. It was on a board in my shed, so it didn’t have parts hidden in the grass or bushes. But I still don’t know what it was. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-identifying-snake/124352.md?page=1)