# What snake did I see? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 18, 2014, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-snake-did-i-see/688667 "2014-05-18T02:40:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![PurpleClogs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f04885/32.png) [@PurpleClogs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PurpleClogs)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2014, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-snake-did-i-see/688667/1 "2014-05-18T02:40:27Z")
We spent today at the beach (central Texas Gulf Coast). Before leaving we walked down to the jetty to look at the dolphin and watch people fishing for a bit. Before we got there, someone had capture a snake and chopped its head off, which was gone, but it’s body was laying on one of the boulders. It was upside down. Belly was muted yellow. Back was gray and sides were polka dotted little circles, no stripes or splotches. It looked more like skin than scales. The length was about 2ft but I don’t know how much was missing. The body tapered normally, not super thin. There was no rattle or whip. I’ve been told there are rats living between the bolders and they come out and scavenge at night. There’s also lots of brush in the area. But no trees really. There’s also a slight chance someone brought it from elsewhere to cut it up for bait, although I doubt it, but if that’s the case then the habitat offers no clue. I’ve browsed tons of photos since I got home and can’t figure it out. Any ideas? We were debating if it was some type of water snake. I said no, he said yes. Neither one of us really has any clue. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2014, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-snake-did-i-see/688667/2 "2014-05-18T02:49:32Z")
Black necked garter snake? ---
**Author:** ![PurpleClogs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f04885/32.png) [@PurpleClogs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PurpleClogs)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2014, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-snake-did-i-see/688667/3 "2014-05-18T03:53:03Z")
I don’t know. Most of the photos make those look too dark and too small. I forgot to say the girth was about as big as a banana. [This site](http://www.herpsoftexas.org/content/black-necked-gartersnake) seems to indicate those aren’t found along the coast. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2014, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-snake-did-i-see/688667/4 "2014-05-18T03:58:10Z")
> [@HoneyBadgerDC](#): > > Black necked garter snake? Kind of \*by definition \* a garter snake has stripes… ---
**Author:** ![MrKnowItAll](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrknowitall/32/87_2.png) [@MrKnowItAll](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrKnowItAll)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2014, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-snake-did-i-see/688667/5 "2014-05-18T04:07:54Z")
Skin rather than scales? Any chance it was an eel of some sort? ---
**Author:** ![MrKnowItAll](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrknowitall/32/87_2.png) [@MrKnowItAll](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrKnowItAll)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2014, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-snake-did-i-see/688667/6 "2014-05-18T04:13:01Z")
A couple possible eels: [Sharptail eel.](http://reefguide.org/pix/sharptaileel6.jpg) [Black edge moray eel.](http://bransonswildworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Black-Edge-Moray-Eel.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![PurpleClogs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f04885/32.png) [@PurpleClogs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PurpleClogs)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2014, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-snake-did-i-see/688667/7 "2014-05-18T04:37:31Z")
I’ve been looking at the info and photos of ring necked snakes, maybe a prairie? I don’t remember so much red though. Maybe a bit of orange. I’ll check out the eels… I didn’t think we had eels? ---
**Author:** ![PurpleClogs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f04885/32.png) [@PurpleClogs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PurpleClogs)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2014, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-snake-did-i-see/688667/8 "2014-05-18T04:42:40Z")
Ok now I’m leaning towards snapper eel ---
**Author:** ![PurpleClogs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f04885/32.png) [@PurpleClogs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PurpleClogs)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2014, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-snake-did-i-see/688667/9 "2014-05-18T04:53:51Z")
I think that’s it, a snapper eel, AKA Spotted spoon-nose eel (Echiophis intertinctus). Ok now I’m kina creeped out that there’s eels in the water there. I wonder how in the world it wound up on the rocks? Do you think someone caught it on their fishing line and reeled it in? Or would it have to have been netted? ---
**Author:** ![MrKnowItAll](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrknowitall/32/87_2.png) [@MrKnowItAll](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrKnowItAll)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2014, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-snake-did-i-see/688667/10 "2014-05-18T05:11:45Z")
It could have been caught. That’s not unheard of, particularly if they were using fish for bait.