Is this a rattlenake? If so, is there still a market for such a thing?

My great grandpa bankrolled the farm between farming tasks by catching and shipping snakes. When the silo wasn't full of wheat, it would be full of snakes awaiting shipment. I would like to tell more stories about that at some point, but for now...

Is this a rattlenake?

If so, is there still a market for such a thing?

I stand corrected!  That appears to be an eastern diamond back.  Yes, it is a danger noodle.  No common in my part of the world.  Do you live in the south east?


It does not look like a diamond back or a timber.  The 'mask' I am unfamiliar with.  A full band even between the eyes is not something I have seen in my neck of the woods.    It might be a southern pacific and protected.  

The head would tell me don't take a chance, until sure; but I think it is something else.  If it is a rattler it is likely one that is protected, so be discreet whatever you do.  

what part of the country was it found?

South Central Kansas, almost Oklahoma's bioregion, near enough to the Arkansas River wildlife corridor.

ha - danger noodle

From this site on Kansas snakes:

snakes of kansas

I have never heard of a massasauga rattlesnake.  That is a new one to me, but the picture is close.

I’m no snake expert by any means but googling didn’t seem to match pic of that snake. Plus it has no rattles. When snakes are young they shed skin at least twice a year. So even a very young snake would have rattles.

Handle with caution either way.

That is one dangerous snake if it is indeed a rattle snake.

The only way I can recognize one is from the rattle.

I was brought up to leave snakes alone.

There are several rattlesnake species that have indeed lost their rattles entirely, or are in the evolutionary process of doing so.

https://rattlesnakesolutions.com/snakeblog/science-and-education/are-rattlesnakes-evolving-to-rattle-less-or-losing-their-rattles/

Just for fun, Snake ID of Arizona:

https://rattlesnakesolutions.com/snake-information/reptiles-of-arizona.php

I'm seeing something Ratsnake-ish. Could be a cornsnake?

I don’t know much about snakes but the head shape definitely isn’t a colubrid (rat or corn snake)or even python it looks more like a viper head, which could be some sort of rattle snake.

Pinged a local expert who said it's a ratsnake.

This is very interesting.  He says it is not a massasauga.

"The blotches on the back wouldn't be saddle shaped, but rather like semi-rounded patches. And the top of the head wouldn't have the pattern like that.
This snake is nervous, so flattening head out to look bigger. That's why it seems diamond shapes."

I believe that snake likes to rattle it's tail in the grass to make it sound like a rattler.
A friend just showed me a video of something similar he found and we were wondering what it was too.

Ratsnake, sometimes when they're agitated they can flatten their head out.

Wow, had me fooled.

So many snakes!

It could be this one?

Great Plains Ratsnake: Pantherophis emoryi

from birdwatchinghq

Adults range from 36 to 60 inches long.
Coloration is light gray or tan with dark gray, brown, or green-gray blotching down its back.
A spear-shaped mark on the head and stripes on the sides of the head that meet to form a point between the eyes.
Also sometimes called Emory’s Ratsnake, Brown Ratsnake, or Chicken Snake.

I think the head markings are similar.
Beautiful.

Could be, there is great color variation between species and subspecies of snakes, especially any of the ratsnakes, there are probably over 50 variations of cornsnake morphs alone. I used to breed and sell many different kinds of snakes, had up to a couple hundred during hatching season.

Nancy Reading wrote:So many snakes!

It could be this one?

Great Plains Ratsnake: Pantherophis emoryi

from birdwatchinghq

Adults range from 36 to 60 inches long.
Coloration is light gray or tan with dark gray, brown, or green-gray blotching down its back.
A spear-shaped mark on the head and stripes on the sides of the head that meet to form a point between the eyes.
Also sometimes called Emory’s Ratsnake, Brown Ratsnake, or Chicken Snake.

I think the head markings are similar.
Beautiful.

The rattlesnake-adjacent market that I have heard of had to do with 'milking' the snakes venom. The venom is sent to make anti-venin. But it's a dangerous process, and doesn't apply to rat snakes. I know some people keep rat snakes an pets. Dunno the prices, though.