Can someone identify this snake?

[Rick10]

I was called to remove a 5 foot snake from a neighbor's yard yesterday, and here is a picture of the snake below. Can someone help me identify it? I released it in a wooded area near a lake later yesterday. It struck at me a few times as I captured it, but it was only trying to defend itself, and I had long welding gloves on so I wasn't worried. I would guess some relative to an eastern king snake, but I really don't know.

[bladeblaster]

black rat?

[poison123]

looks like a black racer to me

[StudentoReptile]

Black racer

[Danimal]

I agree, looks like a racer

[SSSSnakes]

From this picture, judging from the size and head shape I would say a Black Rat Snake. It would help if we knew where the snake was found.

[Rick10]

Originally Posted by SSSSnakes

From this picture, judging from the size and head shape I would say a Black Rat Snake. It would help if we knew where the snake was found.

It was in front of a neighbors large garage door, sunning itself on the concrete, but by the time I got there it was in the bushes next to the garage. It tried to get into a hole at the base of the garage brick, but it apparently wasn't a hole, just a depression. The house was between two other houses, all above a bluff, above Lake Tellico, where the water is 60 feet deep just off shore. The bluff is too step for any docks in that area.

The picture doesn't show it very well but there was a pattern of color, like dark gray and lighter gray wide bands along it. I thought black racers were completely the same color.

[StudentoReptile]

Ratsnakes have moderate-heavily keeled scales. Racers do not have keeled scales. The snake in the photo has no keeled scales; ergo, the most likely candidate is a black racer.

When in doubt, refer to a dichotomous key!

[StudentoReptile]

Originally Posted by Rick10

The picture doesn't show it very well but there was a pattern of color, like dark gray and lighter gray wide bands along it. I thought black racers were completely the same color.

When born, racers do have a some pattern and varied coloration. It fades with age, but no two specimens are exactly alike. I've seen 18-inch black racers that have completely lost all pattern and developed the uniform black color, and I have seen larger specimens that still retain some faint pattern.

[SSSSnakes]

Originally Posted by StudentoReptile

Ratsnakes have moderate-heavily keeled scales. Racers do not have keeled scales. The snake in the photo has no keeled scales; ergo, the most likely candidate is a black racer.

When in doubt, refer to a dichotomous key!

Not always true. In this picture of a Black Rat Snake the scale do not appear to be keeled.

[SSSSnakes]

Originally Posted by Rick10

It was in front of a neighbors large garage door, sunning itself on the concrete, but by the time I got there it was in the bushes next to the garage. It tried to get into a hole at the base of the garage brick, but it apparently wasn't a hole, just a depression. The house was between two other houses, all above a bluff, above Lake Tellico, where the water is 60 feet deep just off shore. The bluff is too step for any docks in that area.

The picture doesn't show it very well but there was a pattern of color, like dark gray and lighter gray wide bands along it. I thought black racers were completely the same color.

I meant to ask is what state was it found in.

[Rick10]

Originally Posted by SSSSnakes

I meant to ask is what state was it found in.

It was found 40 miles southwest of Knoxville, Tennessee. 30 miles from the Smoky Mountains, on a peninsula development on the Little Tennessee River.

[StudentoReptile]

Originally Posted by SSSSnakes

Not always true. In this picture of a Black Rat Snake the scale do not appear to be keeled.

You're not looking closely enough. One can still see some faint keels on the coils on the leftmost part of the image. Typically, it is more prominent on the posterior half of the snake more than the anterior half.

In Pantherophis, I will concur the keeling does vary between specimens and locales, but ALL specimens do have it to some degree. Racers (Coluber sp.) do not have it at all. There are other differences that distinguish the two genera, but we don't have the animal in question right in front of us, and likewise, as the OP said, it has been released, so all we have is that photo they posted.

[SSSSnakes]

After knowing where the snake was found and checking native snakes of Tenn., I will have to agree that it is a Black Racer. From what I have found, there are no Black Rat Snakes in Tenn. Nice job poison123 for being what appears to be the first person to correctly ID the snake.

[Snakefood]

yup, good job...... my first thought was black rat too!!!