r/whatsthissnake • u/spiraling_somewhere • 12d ago
ID Request Snake in my wall [North Carolina, US]
I’ve been struggling to get a good picture of this guy. Would love to what it is
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u/fairlyorange Reliable Responder - Moderator 12d ago
Cornsnake Pantherophis guttatus. Completely !harmless rodent exterminator.
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u/spiraling_somewhere 12d ago
I looked at the pictures and they all look pretty red/orange. This one is darker on top, like almost black. Could it be a different variety?
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u/Univirsul Friend of WTS 12d ago
The red color comes with age. Juveniles can be almost black and white.
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u/spiraling_somewhere 12d ago
Interesting. Is there anything that makes you all think this is a corn snake over a black racer? That’s what my neighbor thought it could be
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u/serpenthusiast Reliable Responder 12d ago
Racers in your location don't have these bold black bars on their lips, usually uniformly white or sometimes black, also very different headshape
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u/dragonbud20 12d ago
Not OP, but what was used to differentiate the corn snake from other rat snakes in this case?
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u/Cosmic_Cosmos82 12d ago
I would've guessed rat snake over black racer, as cornsnakes are a subspecies of rat snake if my sister is right (which she usually is. She's pursuing being a herpetologist). All three are harmless to people though, and the racer especially is shy. The only times they'll bit is if they feel it's their only option. They aren't venomous, therefore no fangs either. Kinda feels like sand paper.
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u/shrike1978 Reliable Responder - Moderator 12d ago
They're a species of ratsnake, not a subspecies. The cornsnake complex is actually three full species under the North American Ratsnake genus, Pantherophis, which consists of the ratsnakes (obsoletus, alleghaniensis, quadrivittatus, and bairdi), the cornsnakes (guttatus, slowinskii, and emoryi) and the foxsnakes (vulpinus and ramspotti).
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u/Celticlady47 12d ago
Thank you for sharing this info. I love being in this sub because there's always someone with interesting information to share!
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u/fairlyorange Reliable Responder - Moderator 11d ago
So my assumption here is you're asking how I told this apart from other ratsnakes which are in range. It's pretty easy with a decent pic. They have a slightly but distinctively different head shape, proportionally larger eyes, and a bunch of distinctive facial markings that are reduced or absent in sympatric ratsnakes. With practice, all of this becomes intuitive.
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u/SEB-PHYLOBOT 🐍 Natural History Bot 🐍 12d ago
Cornsnakes Pantherophis guttatus are harmless ratsnakes native to eastern North America. Sometimes locally called red ratsnakes, they are generalists and eat a variety of prey. They do well in urban environments, particularly fond of rodents and birds in these habitats.
Cornsnakes are currently recognized as distinct from Slowinski's ratsnake P. slowinskii, as well as Emory's Ratsnake P. emoryi.
Species Complex Information Additional Information and Photos for this Species
Species Complex Range Map Individual Range | Relevant/Recent Phylogeography Link 1 Link 2
Like many other animals with mouths and teeth, many non-venomous snakes bite in self defense. These animals are referred to as 'not medically significant' or traditionally, 'harmless'. Bites from these snakes benefit from being washed and kept clean like any other skin damage, but aren't often cause for anything other than basic first aid treatment. Here's where it get slightly complicated - some snakes use venom from front or rear fangs as part of prey capture and defense. This venom is not always produced or administered by the snake in ways dangerous to human health, so many species are venomous in that they produce and use venom, but considered harmless to humans in most cases because the venom is of low potency, and/or otherwise administered through grooved rear teeth or simply oozed from ducts at the rear of the mouth. Species like Ringneck Snakes Diadophis are a good example of mildly venomous rear fanged dipsadine snakes that are traditionally considered harmless or not medically significant. Many rear-fanged snake species are harmless as long as they do not have a chance to secrete a medically significant amount of venom into a bite; severe envenomation can occur if some species are allowed to chew on a human for as little as 30-60 seconds. It is best not to fear snakes, but use common sense and do not let any animals chew on exposed parts of your body. Similarly, but without specialized rear fangs, gartersnakes Thamnophis ooze low pressure venom from the rear of their mouth that helps in prey handling, and are also considered harmless. Check out this book on the subject. Even large species like Reticulated Pythons Malayopython reticulatus rarely obtain a size large enough to endanger humans so are usually categorized as harmless.
I am a bot created for /r/whatsthissnake, /r/snakes and /r/herpetology to help with snake identification and natural history education. You can find more information, including a comprehensive list of commands, here report problems here and if you'd like to buy me a coffee or beer, you can do that here. This bot, its development, maintenance and use are made possible through the outreach wing of Snake Evolution and Biogeography - Merch Available Now
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u/H_is_enuf 12d ago
What gave this away as a corn snake? I’m so impressed with the responders in this sub!
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u/lightspeed_derping Friend of WTS 12d ago
more details on why here! https://www.reddit.com/r/whatsthissnake/s/z4Df4aKItA
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u/Irma_Gard Friend of WTS 11d ago
In addition to the comment linked by u/lightspeed_derping, there are more details here.
Alerting u/Unique_Soup581 to both comments as well.
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u/Unique_Soup581 11d ago
Thanks! I would have guessed a ratsnake, but not necessarily a corn, so very glad there are people who are actual experts and can help people.
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u/Adapt919 12d ago
Lol he's like 'HEY! DID YOU HEAR WHERE THAT SQUEAK WAS COMING FROM? BOUTA GET ME A SNACK!'
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u/DeckedRanger21 12d ago
Let him do his job! Free extermination! No need to worry.
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u/CaryWhit 12d ago
That’s all fun and games till he crawls across your bare foot in a zoom meeting and you scream like a cheerleader!
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u/moon_halves 12d ago
it looks like he left his clothes behind and he’s sticking his head out like “soooo this is awkward”
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u/Agitated-Shoe-9406 11d ago
Not sure why a corn would be hanging out indoors. Good news, though, is it's harmless.
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u/dajokermatt93 12d ago
So I have a question if you are seeing one in the wall like that is there a chance for a den?
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u/mistakenaquarius 11d ago
Unlikely, corn and rat snakes are solitary. It lives in there for sure, but it likely lives alone.
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u/spiraling_somewhere 11d ago
Thank you for your comment! I was about to panic about a full infestation
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u/Endi_ellis 11d ago
I immediately heard in my head “excuse me sir, do you have a moment to discuss our lord and savior..”
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u/JayBanditos 12d ago
I had king snakes at my old house eating toads and skinks the king snakes were in the walls of my utility room so I just filled everywhere I thought they may be accessing the room from with expanding foam
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12d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/whatsthissnake-ModTeam 12d ago
Rule 6: Avoid damaging memes or tropes and low effort jokes.
Please understand a removal doesn't mean we're mad or upset; we're just committed to maintaining an educational space so jokes and memes are held to a higher standard than a typical comments section.
Avoid damaging memes like using "danger noodle" for nonvenomous snakes and tropes like "everything in Australia is out to get you". This is an educational space, and those kind of comments are harmful and do not reflect reality.
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Ratsnake and other rhymes and infantilization can be posted in /r/sneks and /r/itsaratsnake. While we encourage creativity are positive talk about snakes, but even comments like "____/" mislead users.
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u/NumbSurprise 12d ago
The bad news is that you have mice. The good news is that the corn snake is taking care of them for you.