Baby Coachwhip (?)

A few days ago, I was walking to the parking lot and crossing a narrow grassy median between two busy paved lanes, when I spotted this little fellow in the grass.
He spied me at the same time and took off in the other direction.

I was afraid he would wind up as a snake pancake in the school parking lot, so I dropped my Bubba Keg, my laptop case, and this other bag stuffed full of teachery stuff.
Then, I gave chase.


I did catch him, but not until running around like a maniac, back and forth, and snatching at the grass.
When he was in my hands, I looked up to see the assistant principal and a handful of students staring at me ... with expressions of disbelief.

They could not see the snake from their position, so they were all wondering what the heck had gotten in to me.



This is what got in to me.
Is he not beautiful?
Imagine an eye that big, relative to your face!


There was a little cooler in the JEEP, so I set him in it and took him home where there are not hundreds of kids, school buses, and cars.
In many ways, PFHQ is perfect coachwhip habitat. I have woods, open areas, lots of gopher burrows, and water.
It's like Disneyworld for snakes.






Soooooo, I think it's a young coachwhip, but young black racer seems like a possibility too.
Some of you may be better at juvenile snake ID, so chime in!

My money is on coachwhip for now.

The end of this snake's tale is in the video below.

(No, THIS one did not get loose in the house!)