So I realized ( a long time ago) that alot of nonvenomous snakes look like venomous snakes
( I do not own any of the snake photos I’m using for this.)
Gray-banded Kingsnake by Colubrid Central [1]
Banded rock or mottled rock rattlesnake [2]
9 Likes
Yep this is called Batesian mimicry. It is a really interesting topic and can be found almost all animal groups from snakes to roly polies 
I am sure there is someone in the community that can add to that.
Lots of snakes in America mimic other dangerous species like Rattlesnakes. Bullsnakes, kingsnakes, hognose snakes, and the list goes on.
8 Likes
The Scarlet Kingsnake also mimics the highly venomous Eastern Coral Snake 
Above is a kingsnake
Below is a coral snake
It’s not hard to spot the difference, but the colors of the kingsnake may deter predators.
(Not my pictures)
5 Likes
Actually, western hognoses are trying to mimic massasauga rattlesnakes
5 Likes
True true but they also look shield nosed cobras
(I know shield nosed cobras live in Africa)
1 Like
Can’t argue with that.
2 Likes
I have my own little mimic.
Psammodynastes pulverulentus aka Mock Viper
Looking like this spicy guy primarily, Malayan pit viper.
not my picture
Female mock viper for comparison. They are sexually dimorphic with males being tan and females ranging from brown/red to greys.
Also not my pic
4 Likes
Another of my favorites being Xenodon werneri
And Bothrops bilineatus
Though I’ve heard the pain from werneri’s bite is not exactly something to sneeze at.
Neither my pictures
4 Likes
Wow I was correct I thought it was green Jararaca Which I was correct.
Almost all American colubrids will ‘rattle’ their tail when stressed to mimic rattlesnakes. From Thamnophis to Pituophis and everything in between. Pituophis actually have a couple of mechanisms to imitate a rattle.
3 Likes
I’m familiar with the tail rattling from North American colubrids like kings and rats first hand.
But I’ve never kept any Pits, nor been around them too much. What extra mechanisms do Pituophis have to imitate a rattle more so than North American kingsnakes and rat snakes?
Wow where can I get one 
That snake is stunning.
1 Like
They drag their keeled scales across themselves and expel air a way that sounds like a deep rattle.
5 Likes
Very neat! Thank you
3 Likes
You learn something new every day! That’s super interesting!
2 Likes
Believe me I wish I knew. I’m only aware of one person in the US who currently has one, actually two now I think, and she’s in direct business with importers so first dibs are had. I imagine if one were publicly available it would be several thousand.
2 Likes
That is really cool. I love this thread
3 Likes
Ah, darn, probably wouldn’t have been ready for something like this yet but that is crazy awesome. Hopefully those keepers crack the code to captive breeding these!
1 Like