# Snake skin identification



## gizzi2 (Mar 29, 2011)

My wife found this skin by the front door yesterday and wondered if anyone can identify. We are wondering where its contents have gone of course. With 3yr old running arround its more of a concern.

Thanks


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## najanaja (Mar 29, 2011)

with only a quick look i would say a small carpet python... but dont quote me on it...

small ventral scals and quite thick for its size... im sure your pretty safe there


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## driftoz (Mar 29, 2011)

an area or location might help? could be a small carpet python but they might not be local where you are so could be something else


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## gizzi2 (Mar 29, 2011)

*snake skin - area*

We are in helensburgh part way down towards wollongong.

Thanks for quick reply folks
Are we dangerous do you think. We are from UK and new to all this stuff.


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## Danish (Mar 29, 2011)

Defantly not a carpet python,
more like a whip snake,cant be 100% sure
wouldnt worry to much though.


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## -Andrew- (Mar 29, 2011)

I would say it looks like a Green tree snake skin.


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## gizzi2 (Mar 29, 2011)

*Identification*

ill take some closer better pics tomorrow which may help. 

Thanks again


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## jham66 (Mar 29, 2011)

The full width ventral scale rules out python. So elapid or colubrid. You can do a count yourself by googling snake scale count. Some will give you a search based on the number of scales. You are lucky you have the full shed. I had a 1 inch piece.....


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## Snake Catcher Victoria (Mar 29, 2011)

I reckon it's an eastern brown, 
contact your local snake catcher and show him/her.


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## Jonno from ERD (Mar 29, 2011)

It's impossible to tell. It's not a Carpet Python - the wide ventral scales eliminate that immediately. You need to upload some close-up photos of the head, detailing the scalation, as well as a photo of the centre row of mid-body scales.


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## jham66 (Mar 29, 2011)

Does the pigment ever show in the shed skin? I know it does with my pythons but does it with other snakes? the reason I ask is the skin segment that my wife found in the yard was very dark (brown in fact) with light coloured inter-scale spaces. 

Here is a small fragment... lol gets smaller everytime I look at it, it was a full tube a week or two ago....


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## gizzi2 (Mar 29, 2011)

*a few more pics*

I have attached a few more images taken this evening


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## MathewB (Mar 29, 2011)

Where abouts do you live? I'd say a Brown


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## CamdeJong (Mar 29, 2011)

The scales say eastern brown to me, however that's got nothing to do with actual pigment. Snake skin is made of beta keratin so it's all different shades of the same colour, but the darkness does comply with the patterns or colour of the snake's skin eg. a red-bellied black has extremely dark brown dorsal scales. Can you show us a closer shot of the spinal row? These are highly distinguisable on things like green trees. But yeah get your hands on a field guide by peter mirtschin or the like, or use the internet, and find the scale count.


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## gizzi2 (Mar 29, 2011)

in helensburgh


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## snakeluvver (Mar 29, 2011)

And by the way carpet pythons aren't dangerous. No pythons have any venom at all. Cos they're pythons 
I agree that it doesn't look like a python, the stomach scales look like they came from some elapid.
If it is from a brown snake, you may want to watch out as brown snakes are the second most venomous snakes in the world... not trying to scare you haha 

By the way elapids are group of venomous snakes. Most of the species in Australia are only mildly venomous, although there are a few very venomous ones.


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## jham66 (Mar 29, 2011)

Sorry if this link violates any rules, it's a really good resource: AROD > snake scale count search | ReptilesDownUnder.com


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## souldoubt (Mar 30, 2011)

Colour doesn't give you a reliable ID of a snake, let alone its shed. I'd go for the scale count as others have suggested. You certainly have a colubrid or elapid, but as has already been stated not all venomous snakes in Australia are dangerous to humans 

All snakes prefer to retreat than have a conflict with humans so just be aware of your surroundings from now on and try to clean up any piles of rubbish, debris etc from the yard and you should be ok. Might also be a good idea to keep the details of a local snake catcher handy


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## gizzi2 (Mar 30, 2011)

Just an update guys and thanks for all the input. Having had a local expert look at it we believe that its a 'small eyed' snake. I seem to have learned quite a bit in the last couple of days.


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