Black Rat Snake

Today I encountered what I suspect is a Black Rat Snake! I was marking out the new beds for my market garden when I noticed that the dewberries were starting to ripen. I decided to head to the back of the property where the highest concentration of dewberries are found and there he was. Only a few feet from my face which was close to the ground looking for ripe dewberies. Bluahhh... totally gave me the heebe jeebes! He was not only long (4'-5'), but he was massive (1"-1.5") in diameter. He was almost jet black with a bit of mottling near his tail. His underbelly was creamy and his head was thick and chunky.

To his credit he laid there quietly while I looked for any distinct patterns/markings. After a few minutes of studying him I thought he might be dead. I decided he was merely sunning himself trying to get over the shock of our freak freeze last night. I went in to look him up online, (since I couldn't find my cool Texas Snake id book.) I feared he might be a cotton mouth/water mocassin due to his coloring, but I didn't want to make any harsh decisions unless I was certain he wasn't a beneficial snake. Luckily for all of us I found this site: http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/black_rat_snake.htm and there he was on my computer.

Although, I feel certain he was a black rat snake and therefore beneficial, I still gotta say bluahhh... to the whole experience.