Rat Snake

Scientific Name: Elaphe obsoleta

Fast Fact:
When threatened with danger, some of these shy, non-poisonous snakes will coil their bodies and shake their tails among dead leaves to simulate the rattle of a venomous rattlesnake. They may also release feces and a nasty-smelling liquid if they are picked up.

These docile creatures are very useful around farms because they help to control the rodent population. Almost all species are bred in captivity and are popular as pets.

STATUS: Fortunately, rat snakes are not threatened although they face habitat loss in some areas.

HABITAT: The more than 50 species of rat snakes are found in North America, Mexico, Europe, and sections of Asia including India, China, Japan and the Philippines. They live in a variety of habitats, ranging from sea level to mountains, because each species prefers a somewhat different environment. Rat snakes spend time in trees and are also frequently found in grassy areas, cultivated fields, and around farms.

DIET: As you might guess from their name, rat snakes are primarily rodent eaters although they do consume other prey as well. Juveniles eat small lizards, other snakes, baby mice and an occasional small frog. While adults mainly enjoy mice and rats, they also devour chipmunks, birds and bird eggs which they swallow whole. Most prey, except for small and less active creatures, are killed by constriction, or squeezing.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS: Rat snakes are medium-sized, with adults averaging 42-72 inches in length and l.5 inches in diameter. They have only one lung and a single row of ventral, or belly, scales as wide as the body and matching a single vertebra. Their jaws can expand greatly to accommodate their prey. The snakes’ coloration varies greatly from almost solid black to brownish, gray or yellow, and with stripes or blotches possible. The animals’ hue reflects their environment so that they blend into their surroundings for protection. In some species, the young are colored differently than the adults, dark gray with dark splotches, and only gain adult coloration at about the age of three.

The Basics

Rat snakes normally forage during the day but may stay up to ambush nocturnal frogs.

While rat snakes hibernate, their length of hibernation varies with the climate where they live and they emerge from their dormant state sometime between March and May. After a few weeks, the snakes, which reach sexual maturity at age two to four, begin to look for a mate. Males wait for the females to pass through their territory and by using pheromones, a chemical substance, will communicate their interest to their intended mate. Five weeks later, the female will lay around 12 to 20 eggs under a hollow log, beneath leaves or in an abandoned burrow. 65 to 70 days later the eggs will hatch. Two clutches of eggs a year are occasionally produced.