A Snake... a Snake!

Alrighty, I'll just say it how I think it happened. Basically there was a snake reported in the parking lot. No big deal right? I gathered from the girl that reported seeing the snake, that it was a Black Racer. Ok I know those snakes are non-venomous so I figure I'll go catch the snake, tell everyone they have nothing to worry about, let them pet the snake and let the snake go on its way.

Well when I catch up to him/her it kind of gathers in a ball and starts shaking its tail like a rattlesnake. I know this is just a bluff and I tell everybody there that it is a bluff. So I bend down and attempt to grab the snake... the snake lunges at me, and I start to have second thoughts about the whole thing. I mean this is a black racer right? I keep telling myself this over and over as I try to muster my confidence back up again.

So I get a mop handle and the snake lunges at me again and again. Now I really do wonder if I got some other kind of snake. He/she/it is not only lunging at me, it is raising it self up and "jumping" at me. And now I am completely in defense mode, backing away, and making the girl who reported the snake rightfully scared. Hell at this point I can't say a blame her.

I back up enough, that the snake no longer feels threatened and he goes his way and I go mine. I take a mental picture and immediately go to the website and see that yes it was a black racer, and they don't much take very kindly to being picked up or handled. I thought they would be just like a garter snake. But in fact I was quite wrong about that.



So a Black Racer, might be ok to look at but otherwise not good to play with, or anything else. I learned my lesson. And everyone who is scared of snakes... well this wasn't the snake to warm them up with... lesson learned.