Snake People!

[Becks]

Seriously, little bastard actually started chewing.

Is it bad that the mental image made me giggle?

[Kogarashi]

Thanks for the explanation, RK. That actually helps a bit. And generally, I can handle being near most snakes if I know they're not going to hurt me, so pet snakes I can get used to if given some time.

I like your disclaimer about doing the Fandango on top of a snake.

[Amethyst Hunter]

Rattlesnakes, like most other snakes, are big wussies. They don't want any part of you. They look tough the way scared little boys act tough so they don't have to fight.

The pygmy rattlers are probably the only exception to that rule. While I've never seen one myself (and hope I never do) I've heard stories about them. They're psychotic and aggressive as hell. My dad once saw a city worker try to move one out of a ditch with a shovel. This tiny little bastard went completely apeshit and tried to bite the hell out of that shovel, striking repeatedly. If that's the way they react when a human's intentions aren't threatening, I'd hate to see one when it's REALLY pissed off. (Their venom is really nasty too: another guy my dad knew got tagged by one and spent over $100K for hospitalization as a result - the antivenin is apparently VERY costly!)

As to my original post, yup, confirmed: 'tis a corn snake. Phew! That's a load off my mind.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

I'd say a guy trying to scoop you up in a shovel classifies as extremely threatening and any snake, even a non venomous one would have behaved in the exact same way. The snake had no idea the worker was trying to help him. All he knew was that this giant THING was trying to capture him. That snake was terrified for its life.