Snake ID

[Neal]

First off, I know a picture would have made all the difference in the world, but I don't have one. Here's what I got -

A snake with a black head and grey body...

Our office is right across the street from a large corn field, and from time to time we get snakes in our office. This type of snake is usually the type we find, but I've never bothered to try and ID it until now. The one we found today was very small, maybe 4 inches and 1/8 inch girth. I've searched around some web pages with native Arizona snake pictures, but haven't had any luck with it. Maybe they morph into a different patter as an adult. I would think they are non venomous, they are certainly not aggressive, but any help at all would be great!

 

[tortadise]

Black head and solid grey or patterned gray? Im thinking a desert king snake. They have black heads but grayish patterned bodies.

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like this guy?

 

[Neal]

It was close. Except the head was solid dark black and the body was solid grey. No patterns and no variations which made me think that maybe this is how this type of snake looks when it's young and maybe changes patterns and colors as an adult.

 

[JeffG]

You have me really curious! I have lived in the valley for 40 years, and the only snakes I have seen around here are rattle snakes and king snakes. None of them have been grey with black heads. I would really like to know what you have there. Why couldn't you take a picture?

 

[tortadise]

Sounds pretty cool. Maybe it was a weird variant of a desert king.

 

[Tom]

4"? Kingsnakes hatch much bigger than that. Possibly a "ring neck snake"? They eat earth worms.

 

[StudentoftheReptile]

Crowned snake? We have southeastern crowned snakes around here, (bodies are more tannish), I believe there are some western species.

 

[Neal]

4"? Kingsnakes hatch much bigger than that. Possibly a "ring neck snake"? They eat earth worms.

That's the one! I didn't remember until I saw this picture, but it did have a ring around its neck. His body was a little bit lighter too.

There were some snakeaphopbic people in my office, lol, so I didn't have time to take a picture. I was told to get that damn thing out of the office as fast as I could. He was released deep in the cornfield.

 

[acrantophis]

Black headed snake? Tantilla melanacephala? They are very small, They live in Arizona. Scorpion and centipede eaters. Ring necked snakes have yellow or reddish bellies.

 

[Neal]

Black headed snake? Tantilla melanacephala? They are very small, They live in Arizona. Scorpion and centipede eaters. Ring necked snakes have yellow or reddish bellies.

Well crap, it might have been that one too. It didn't have any color on its belly, and looking at pictures, the body color of the black headed snake looks more like what I saw.

 

[acrantophis]

Well crap, it might have been that one too. It didn't have any color on its belly, and looking at pictures, the body color of the black headed snake looks more like what I saw.

Ringnecks have bellies that are so bright there is no question what they are. Blackheads are more common in your area.

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

We have them all over here in Florida, they don't bite and eat lizard eggs!

 

[acrantophis]

We have them all over here in Florida, they don't bite and eat lizard eggs!

I'm sure your place is crawling with all kinds of Floridian critters!

 

[CGKeith]

Check this link out. Looks like what you described.

http://www.reptilesofaz.org/Snakes-Subpages/h-t-hobartsmithi.html

 

[Neal]

Yeah that's gotta be it. Some of my co-workers that have been there for awhile say that they come in about once a year or so. Apparently there was a 12 incher one time. That would have been an interesting day.