I caught a small snake yesterday. As it tried to get away, it took on the characteristic serpentine shape.

Serpentine refers to a sinuous shape. Sinuous like a sine wave or the letter ‘S’. And clearly, like a snake. I wonder which came first though? Is a snake also known as a serpent because of it’s shape, or is the shape named after another name for snake?

I probably think too much about stuff like this. The important thing is that I caught a small snake yesterday on our back porch. It was about a foot long and its body about 1/2 inch in diameter. It was hiding in a corner behind our grill. When I moved the grill to start cooking, I saw it. Never one to pass up a chance to get a good look at a snake, I caught it with a broom and dustpan. You thought they were only for cleaning!

I  think it’s a juvenile rat snake, but I’m not sure. It tried to bite me, but I could see it didn’t have fangs. It also wiggled it’s tail like a rattlesnake does, but I could also see that it didn’t have any rattles. Very cute!

It wouldn’t stay still long enough for me to photograph it. I put it in the refrigerator for about half an hour to make it lethargic. That worked like a charm. These photos are taken with it in a white plastic bowl. It quickly warmed up and I let it go. It slithered away in the grass, although not very quickly. It was still warming up.

Rat Snake

Here’s another view, from the top. I think it’s beautiful, No fancy colors, just a mix of browns, tans, blacks and grays. It’s underside was a uniform tan color.

Rat Snake

Some people have an innate aversion to snakes. A few years ago, I was reviewing the Naturescapes entries with our juror and she jumped when a photo of a snake appeared on the screen. I asked “What’s the matter? Are you like Indiana Jones?” She answered tersely, “I hate snakes”. Mental note, snakes do not make the best Naturescapes entries.

Please leave a comment if you know what species this is.