Friend or Foe?

[lakngulf]

What kind is he? Came swimming from my neighbors boat house, pass my boat and settled in just under my pier. Got him with a stiff rake.

 

[Wesdor]

I did a search for water snake images. The image that looks most like it is the Northern Water Snake. According to Wikipedia it is a non-venomous snake found all over north America

I am no snake expert so hopefully someone else will add more expertise

 

[Steave]

I'm not a snake expert (not even close) but that's a gray rat snake. Not poison but they get very large. As least thats what we call them around here. They do come in variations of color.

We have a lot of white oak, king, and black rat snakes here. The black snakes are always in the chicken pen. They are not large enough to eat the chickens I guess they're trying to get the eggs?

We have a few copperhead but very rarely do you see a rattler or a cottonmouth even though they are around.

 

[Steave]

Gray Rat Snake: Prime specimen at Radnor Lake

Here's a picture that looks very much like your snake. It could also be a northern water snake as Wesdor said. They are all in this area.

 

[Depmandog]

I perused some sites, and I couldn't make a positive ID. But my best guess:

Midland Water Snake Nerodia sipedon pleuralis. Common statewide, except southernmost portions of Coastal Plain, where apparently confined to immediate vicinity of Conecuh, Yellow, and Choctawhatchee Rivers. A conspicuous inhabitant of ponds, lakes, and streams, and the most frequently encountered water snake in the northern two-thirds of Alabama. Lowest Conservation Concern.