One of my favorite things about gardening and native plants is finding evidence of the whole life cycle! I think this is the molt of a Green Smooth Snake but I'm depending on iNat for the identification. I'm no herpetologist! It's shocking to find a completely intact molt too!
by KawiWowi
2 Comments
This is so cool
If you post this over at r/whatsthissnake and follow the instructions for identification of a !shed, someone will be able to tell you exactly what species this is. Basically, they need a clear photo of about one inch of shed split down the belly scales. There’s other information in there too. I’ll see if I can copy/paste that SEB-PHYLOBOT reply.
Hercules! I found it! Here it is in its entirety:
“Snakes are identifiable from intact shed skins, but it takes some time and the correct knowledge.
If you’re in North America, a basic guide to shed identification can be found here, but the people of r/whatsthissnake will help if you post clear photos of the head, vent and midbody.
Get a clear, focused photo of the complete dorsal surface (like this) about 1/3 of the way down the body so we can count scale rows and see the pattern, scale texture, and other details. This may be easiest if you cut out a section, then cut through the middle of the belly scales. If present, also get a clear, focused photo of the anal plate (like this).
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. Made possible by Snake Evolution and Biogeography – Merch Available Now”
*All credit in this world and the next to the fine folks at* r/whatsthissnake and u/SEB-PHYLOBOT 🙂