what kind of snake is this? (yard, snakes, poisonous)

[GoBlue223]

I am VERY unfamiliar with snakes but I just found this guy slithering across our porch. anyone know what kind it is?

[Rhaven]

Looks like a black racer to me. Here is a good site that describes the snakes of NC
Snakes of North Carolina

[wheelsup]

I've killed 3 small cottonmouths in the last year on my property. Yikes!

[GoBlue223]

do i need to worry about this guy with a smaller (18 lb) dog?

[Poggly Woggly]

Originally Posted by GoBlue223

do i need to worry about this guy with a smaller (18 lb) dog?

Nope...black snakes are non-poisonous. The worst that could happen is a bite on the end of your dog's nose

[beckycat]

Originally Posted by GoBlue223

do i need to worry about this guy with a smaller (18 lb) dog?

Yeah, that's a black racer. Most likely, if it your dog doesn't bother it, it won't bother your dog. I've had them in my yard and my dogs have gone after them. The snake runs from them. I've seen where my dogs have had them cornered and they will strike at them. They are not poisonous, but if they did bite your dog, they could cause a wound. Snake bites cause the skin to slough off. The problem is that it takes forever for a snake bite to heal. I've seen dogs who have had an open wound from a snake bite 8 months later. If my dogs go after them and I see them, I discourage them from chasing them.

[Nativechief]

Its a black rat snake. Very common and not aggresive. The black racer is another breed. They are blacker looking and smaller and aggresive. found on the eastern costal regions.

[lamishra]

I think it looks like a rat snake too. They have a more flat nose and usually a greyish-black color. Either way, neither are poisonous!

[greggofish]

always draw a lot of responses...they usually start off pretty good and accurate and then go kinda crazy. Here are the answers to your questions with 100% accuracy:

It is a Black Racer
The snake and your dog can coexist easily. The dog likely could not catch this snake and if it did, a bite will no damage except for a wound similar to a blackberry bush encounter.

[beckycat]

Originally Posted by greggofish

always draw a lot of responses...they usually start off pretty good and accurate and then go kinda crazy. Here are the answers to your questions with 100% accuracy:

It is a Black Racer
The snake and your dog can coexist easily. The dog likely could not catch this snake and if it did, a bite will no damage except for a wound similar to a blackberry bush encounter.

The problem is that the snake can introduce bacteria from the bite and cause infection. Therfore, if bitten by one, it's important to clean it out very well.