Guess what it is!
By steve on Jun 27, 2010 in Meramec river
Here’s something interesting we recently spotted on land close to the river. Don’t worry, it’s harmless!
Can you guess what it is and what is happening? The first person to submit a comment to this post with the correct answers will receive a free gift certificate for one kayak rental.
UPDATE: Open the comments to view the answer!
Paul, thanks for the additional information!
They are indeed harmless black snakes that are combating, but they look much more like black racers (Coluber constrictor)than black ratsnakes (Pantherophis obsoletus) to me. Like a few other species of snakes in Missouri, racers combat during the breeding season (though the “cold one” idea makes sense too). Thanks for posting such a cool video and helping to raise awareness about the importance of snake conservation!
A WINNER! Yes, as far as we can tell, it is two Black Rat Snakes in combat, probably 2 males. What they are fighting over, we don’t know. Maybe territory, maybe a female, maybe who gets the last cold one in the cooler!?!?
For those who don’t know, Rat Snakes are not dangerous to people (they can bite if they feel threatened, but they’re not venomous) And they very nice to have around because they eat a lot of rodent pests.
Congratulations, Melissa! You win kayak gift certificate. Could you please email me your address so we can mail it.
black snakes fighting for territory.
(submitted a comment on FB a couple of days ago as well)
Tim, good guess! We thought the same thing at first, but after a little more research it turns out they’re not mating. We don’t think so, at least.
These Rat snakes are mating