Uncle Ron 1,145 Posted April 13, 2012 Yo All ... On my way into LSD yesterday I came across a type of snake I've never seen before ... It was about 5' to 6' long and very slender ... The weird thing was that it was very bright red, virtually the same color and brightness of an automobile tail light ... The body and head shape were very much like a typical red racer, which I've encountered many times, but I've never seen anything like the bright red color ... Any ideas? Cheers, Unc Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
garimpo 2,011 Posted April 13, 2012 Unc was you looking down through your tri-focals and saw a "trouser snake"..... :gig: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jerry2197 0 Posted April 13, 2012 Maybe a mature corn snake? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Desertsunburn 44 Posted April 13, 2012 No corn snakes in AZ. Might have been some variable of a Ground Snake, although they are normally small and 5 or 6 feet is way out there for those. I've taken two pictures of snakes in the last year that no one can ID. Strange. Both at Gold Basin I might add! :hmmmmm: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chris Coffee 20 Posted April 13, 2012 Unc.....I'm taking a shot in the dark here, but did the snake look like this?http://www.snakesofarizona.com/groundsnake-ds-1.jpg Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MacGump 111 Posted April 13, 2012 One of those that just shed its skin... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Au Seeker 2,077 Posted April 13, 2012 Did it look like this snake? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
adam 2,029 Posted April 13, 2012 What really narrows it down is the length, as we dont have to many 5 to 6 foot snakes out here. must have been a subspecies of coachwhip. I wonder if it is possible that it could have adapted to red soils, and like mentioned above, it could have just shed its skin too......Sounds pretty cool regardless Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Uncle Ron 1,145 Posted April 13, 2012 Chris, it did look like that but much brighter...Maybe it did just shed it's skin ... it was in the middle of Castle Hot Spring Road right at the turnoff to that orange dirt landscaping rock pit ... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
garimpo 2,011 Posted April 13, 2012 Did it look like this snake?Skip where do you come up with pics like that? Do you see the mice(?) in the bush....probably what the snake is after... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Au Seeker 2,077 Posted April 13, 2012 Skip where do you come up with pics like that? Do you see the mice(?) in the bush....probably what the snake is after... Got them from the internet, searching Arizona snakes, not to many red ones of that size that I could find. Yes I saw the critter, not sure if it was lucky and got away or not!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oredigger62 16 Posted April 13, 2012 Hi Ron , found a fire engine red one here about 15 years ago. ODNR and a couple herpetologists believed it to be a milk snake . Supposedly it was a mutated variety like we do with corns and rat snakes. They claimed that in most cases these would not live long due to the bright color ... to easy to be spotted by predators. There was also a report of one seen here in ohio that was posted on cryptozoology.com . Cheers , Lou Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
whylee 1 Posted April 14, 2012 It was more than likley a Coachwhip Racer. They come in a variety of colors. They get pretty long and they can really move when they want to. I have seen them anywhere from yellowish to purple in color. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nugget Shooter 3,656 Posted April 14, 2012 It was likely a Red Whip Snake/Red Racer/ or as Whylee said Coachwhip Racer lots of common names for "Masticophis flagelliformis" and they are super fast and can climb a desert tree like lightning to get a bird or lizard. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
frank c 583 Posted April 14, 2012 Well I'm sure glad you guys nailed that one.I was starting to think ,.....maybe that snake Uncle Rod spotted wasn't really red colored, that is untill he spotted Unc Ron lookin at him and got all embarresed an turned red cause he couldn't find them nuggets like Unc Ron can. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Uncle Ron 1,145 Posted April 14, 2012 That's it, Bill ... Looked just like that! Thanks for the info, guys! Cheers, Unc Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Au Seeker 2,077 Posted April 14, 2012 It was likely a Red Whip Snake/Red Racer/ or as Whylee said Coachwhip Racer lots of common names for "Masticophis flagelliformis" and they are super fast and can climb a desert tree like lightning to get a bird or lizard. That the same snake as the pictures I posted "Red Coachwhip", in Bill's picture that snake is just more embarrassed!!! :hahaha: :hahaha: Skip Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
