This photo shows the pattern of a non-venomous Cornsnake's belly scales and anal slit. Notice how the scales on the tail become two.
Ranger Michelle at Frozen Head State Park shows a group of elementary school children "Charlie", the resident corn snake. They were surprised to learn that snakes are not icky and slimy! The boys were impressed to see that a "girl" would hold a snake! :)
! Unfortunately, this is some peoples' idea of a "good" snake, a dead one! Once, during one of my outdoor field trip classes I was talking to the school bus driver (who was also a part-time backwoods preacher). He asked if there were any snakes in the area. I told him there were, his reply was (in a thick East Tennessee drawl), "Ah kill ever snake ah see!" When I asked, "Why?" he answered in a sing-song sermon tone, "'Cause when aaaah see a snake, aaaah see the faaaace of the Devil!" I knew then there was nothing I could say to convince him otherwise! It is a shame that some religions have stigmatized certain creatures, such as snakes, so much.
