Wild Scaleless

dawsona1 · 09-18-16, 07:11 AM

I caught this on Wednesday last week. It was 90 degrees out in a hard wood forest in East Tennessee. Can anyone tell help with identification?

dawsona1 · 09-18-16, 07:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dawsona1

I caught this on Wednesday last week. It was 90 degrees out in a hard wood forest in East Tennessee. Can anyone tell help with identification?

Here are more images of the scaleless snake i caught.

Bandit · 09-18-16, 07:41 AM

The head looks like a garter. I'll look into TN snakes more in a little bit. And it had no scales?

It certainly is beautiful and an incredible find.

macandchz · 09-18-16, 08:22 AM

i thought scaleless snakes had to be bred. very interesting!

dawsona1 · 09-18-16, 08:36 AM

It only had scales on it's belly, head, and on the tip of the tail. I released it after I took the pictures. If you zoom in on the head pictures you can see the skin stretching where there should be scales. It felt like soft skin when rubbed in both directions.

Bandit · 09-18-16, 08:49 AM

That's insane. Amazing find. You should contact your state herpetologist and let them know, I'm sure that's something they'd be interested in. And again, looks like a garter to me, but I'm not overly familiar with the snakes in your area. It's certainly a crazy mutation.

Albert Clark · 09-18-16, 10:59 AM

I think it may be a t.s.sirtalis intergrade with the bizarre and aberrant patterning. Eastern garter snake intergrade.

dawsona1 · 09-18-16, 11:36 AM

The state herpetologist society is the first group that got the pictures and no reply yet. I think they are freaking out, lol.

Bandit · 09-18-16, 12:36 PM

I'm sure they were. I'm usually not tempted to take animals from the wild, but I'd certainly be thinking about it if I would've come across that one lol.

FWK · 09-18-16, 08:36 PM

Scaleless Eastern Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis). Incredible find. If you find it again please hang onto it, it will not last long in the wild. Any Garter enthusiast would love to have it.

RAD House · 09-18-16, 09:19 PM

I saw this on Facebook and the snake was found in a state where it is illegal to keep wild caught animals. Much respect to the op for respecting conservation above their own wants.

FWK · 09-18-16, 10:06 PM

Mmm, Tennessee requires permits to possess native Class II animals. "Nonpoisonous" snakes are included under Class II. Interesting that it is stated in the law "poisonous reptiles" are considered Class I animals. There is no mention of venomous reptiles. Tennessee is not a friendly state to wildlife enthusiasts.

https://www.tn.gov/assets/entities/t...e_70_4_403.pdf

http://share.tn.gov/sos/rules/1660/1...8.20151022.pdf

Quote:

Originally Posted by MesoCorney

I saw this on Facebook and the snake was found in a state where it is illegal to keep wild caught animals. Much respect to the op for respecting conservation above their own wants.

Keeping or releasing this animal has nothing to do with conservation. This animal will not live long in the wild, there are reasons snakes have scales and this snake is at an extreme disadvantage without them. Nature will not be kind to this animal. Unfortunately, having been found in a state that applies the precautionary principle to its wildlife laws, the only legal option is to leave it be.

infernalis · 09-18-16, 10:32 PM

Saw this on Facebook. Thanks for sharing it here..

dawsona1 · 09-19-16, 03:41 AM

Yeah. I am working for a naturalist and I had three interns with me when caught it so it would be a bad precedent to set.

Bandit · 09-19-16, 04:43 AM

Good on you for releasing it, especially considering the circumstances with those interns. And again, great find.