# Please ID this snake



## jeebee (Apr 27, 2013)

Hi,
Found this snake in the skimmer basket of my pool ( has probably been sucked into it by the barracuda cleaner )
I actually picked it up with my hands when cleaning the basket by removing the leaves which collect in it, glad it was dead.
Looks like a baby snake, could that mean there are others crawling around my backyard ?
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/67682127/photo 1.JPG
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/67682127/photo 2.JPG
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/67682127/photo 3.JPG
Thanks.


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## saximus (Apr 27, 2013)

Golden Crowned Snake (Cacophis squamulosus)


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## jeebee (Apr 27, 2013)

Thanks for the ID. 
Googled about the species and its habitat am puzzled about how this terrestrial snakegot into the skimmer basket ( which means it was at the bottom of the pool and got sucked in tru the barracuda )
Guess its time to trim the vegetation around the pool.


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## saintanger (Apr 27, 2013)

jeebee said:


> Hi,
> Found this snake in the skimmer basket of my pool ( has probably been sucked into it by the barracuda cleaner )
> I actually picked it up with my hands when cleaning the basket by removing the leaves which collect in it, glad it was dead.
> Looks like a baby snake, could that mean there are others crawling around my backyard ?
> ...



yep it is a golden crowned snake, may i ask why your glad it was dead?


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## saximus (Apr 27, 2013)

saintanger said:


> yep it is a golden crowned snake, may i ask why your glad it was dead?



Probably because he/she picked it up before realising it was a potentially dangerous snake


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## -Peter (Apr 27, 2013)

Is s/he a skink? S/he'd need to be for it to have any potential to be dangerous to he/r.


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## saximus (Apr 27, 2013)

I knew someone wouldn't be able to help themselves if I left that one dangling out there. I meant potentially dangerous for the sole reason that the OP didn't know what the snake was. For all he/she knew it could have been highly venomous


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## $NaKe PiMp (Apr 27, 2013)

Golden crowned snakes end up in skimmer boxes all the time they fall into the pool at night then end up in the skimmer box ,ive had to remove many this way there usually alive for a couple of days at least floating around


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## Bluetongue1 (Apr 28, 2013)

*jeebee*,
I must congratulate you on the photos. If every ID post provided the dorsal and ventral surfaces and a head shot, all with such spot on clarity, it would be so much easier to give accurate IDs. All that what lacking was a side of the head shot and a location. As it is, that’s not necessary as those head markings are unique to the one species.

Well done!


*Peter*, Your comment does not make sense. Are you being critical of the OP? Are you questioning the use of “potentially” by Saximus. Or are just letting the world know Golden Crowns are skink feeders? The OP does not know what sort of snake it is or anything about it. So what good advice do we recommend members here give people in that situation? We say to treat any snake as potentially dangerous until you know definitely otherwise.


*$NaKe PiMp*,
The Barracuda is an automatic vacuum (set and forget) and entry to the skimmer box filter is only available through the vacuum tube when the Barracuda is in use. Which means the snake had to be on the bottom of the pool to be vacuumed up into the box. 

Blue


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## moosenoose (Apr 28, 2013)

Ever heard of Whitesnake? Well this is Bluesnake  Bit of a shame.


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## -Peter (Apr 28, 2013)

Are you trying to be insulting Blue? Your either attempting that or stupid. Which is it?


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## mcloughlin2 (Apr 28, 2013)

-Peter said:


> Are you trying to be insulting Blue? Your either attempting that or stupid. Which is it?



I don't know about everyone, I for one would think the only person in this thread who was unhelpful was you. Why was there a need to attempt tp twist someone's words? I understood exactly what the OP meant regarding sighing a breath of relief picking up an unidentified snake species with bare hands accidentally but finding it dead which is quite clearly what saximus was trying to explain before you tried to be smart about it. What if it were a much more venomous species?


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## Gruni (Apr 28, 2013)

Peter your reaction really is spectacular... :facepalm:

We tell people on here not to free handle a snake if they don't know what it is 'just in case' it 'could be' harmful. The OP has grabbed a fist full of leaves out of a skimmer box and gotten clear to discover a snake in their hand that could quickly be seen as not being a mere juvenile python and has had a sigh of relief. Should every poster seriousy have to say 'Wow such a shame a stunning snake died...' In this situation I think most people even herpers who are in experienced at snake ID would have had a 'pucker moment' before feeling the regret that it had died.

Now that you know it is a golden crown and that they are indeed harmless maybe you'll get lucky and get some nice pics of a live one in the yard some time, Jeebee.


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## Bluetongue1 (Apr 28, 2013)

*Peter*, I intended only to query/challenge the rationale behind your comment. However, I can now see how my phrasing has been taken as a personal slight on you. I apologise for my ineptness and any personal offence it may have caused you. Such was not intended.

Blue


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