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Reptiles & Amphibians

Unknown snake in South America

11 years ago

Hi,

I live in Medellin, in Colombia, and today I found a small snake on the elevator of my building. It is VERY strange to find snakes in big cities, so I have no idea of what kind of snake is it. The thing is that I took a picture. You'll see it from a 30cm distance. It was not aggressive and it was very small, I don't know if it's a baby snake or just a small variety.

I'd like to know if there could be more (his mother, for example) due to its variety and habits, and if they're a dangerous or poisonous species.

Many thanks!

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Comments (4)

User
11 years ago
Tough to tell exactly what it is without a closer photo, but it isn't a venomous species. It is a juvenile of one of the "racer-like" snakes.

If I would have to guess, it is a juvenile of one of the following genera:
Chironius - "Sipos"
Dendrophidion - "Forest Racers"
Drymoluber - "Woodlands Racer"
Mastigodryas - "Tropical Racers"

All of those genera are harmless and I strongly suspect it is one of the species in those genera.

It is not one of the Colombian coralsnakes nor is it any species of viper.
User
11 years ago
There is a Facebook group for snake identification that has a lot of experts from around the world on it. If you are a Facebook user, you could post the photo there.

Here is a link that might be useful: Facebook Snake Identification group
Redfeather54
11 years ago
Black Racer
Sharon McKenzie
11 years ago
Black Racers are not found in Colombia, South America.

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May be a long shot. Snake skin ID

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