Subject: Black Snake
Geographic location of the bug: Goodlettsville TN
Date: 04/24/2019
Time: 10:40 AM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: I found this snake yesterday. It appears to living in my rock wall. Should I be scared? I tried to locate it but there is too many that look like it. I have 3 small dogs will it hurt them or me? It’s black, white underneath and about 4 ft long. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you Karen Fiels
How you want your letter signed: Karen Fields
Dear Karen,
Upon browsing the reported species in the Snake section of the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (for the second time today which was the first time ever) we have concluded that you encountered a North American Racer, which is described on the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency site as: “A large, slender, solid black snake (36.0 to 60.0 inches in length) with smooth and shiny scales. Throat and chin have some white, and eye color (iris) is brown or dark amber. Belly is dark gray to dark blue in color. Males are slightly larger than females.” All indications are that this is a harmless species.