Elaphe obsolete
Rat Snakes are attractively marked, non-poisonous constrictors which primarily eat rats and mice and some birds and eggs. They are known for their climbing ability and their great length which can be up to 101 inches. In the south they are called Chicken Snakes because they are often found around barn yards and have been known to eat eggs and chicks. Rat snakes do a great service for humans as rodent control agents.
Rat Snakes are Beneficial Animals That Eat Rodents
Elaphe obsolete (Say)
Rat Snakes are very long (up to 101 inches), with uniformly black dorsum or a pattern of large dark blotches on a gray-brown or yellowish brown background, belly mottled or checkered. Rat Snakes show the most regional variation in body pattern and color than any other North American Snake. In Louisiana there are two subspecies: the Black Rat Snake (Elaphe o. obsolete) of the North and Central areas and the Texas Rat Snake (E. O. lindheimeri) of the south. Common names include: Chicken Snake (which is what we used to call this attractive snake), Oak Snake and Goose Snake.
Louisiana Species
Black Rat Snake (Elaphe o. obsolete)
Common in North and Central Louisiana is characterized by a uniformly black dorsum or at least a dark background that contrasts very little with the blotches.

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Texas Rat Snake (E. O. lindheimeri)
Occurs in South Louisiana, and is characterized by dark blotches on a gray-brown or yellowish brown background.
Recent work with Taxonomy by herpetologists places the New World Rat Snakes in the genus Pantherophis rather than Elaphe. Genetic studies also indicate that the current species E. obsolete may be composed of three distinct species: the eastern rat snake (E. alleghaniensis), the Texas rat snake (E. obsolete), and the gray rat snake (E. spiloides), with no recognized subspecies.
Reference: Whit Gibbons and Mike Dorcas: Snakes of the Southeast

A. Corn snake, Elaphe guttata guttata
B. Great Plains rat snake, Elaphe guttata emoryi
C. Adult black rat snake, Elaphe obsoleta obsoleta
D. Juvenile black rat snake, Elaphe obsoleta
E. Adult Texas rat snake, Elaphe obsoleta lindheimeri
Photo Reference: Harold A. Dundee and Douglas A. Rossman, The Amphibians and Reptiles of Louisiana
Rat Snakes
Rat Snakes According to Wiki
Rat snakes are a large, polyphyletic group of snakes from the Colubrid subfamily Colubrinae. Many species tend to be very skittish and sometimes aggressive but bites are usually superficial. They were long thought to be nonvenomous, but recent studies have shown that at least some species do possess venom. A variety of species like Elaphe guttata guttata are known for the ease with which they are tamed and are common in the pet trade. There is considerable variation between different types of rat snake but most are medium to large, rodent eating snakes.
Previously most were assigned to the genus Elaphe but many have been since renamed. The validity of some genera is debatable but for the purpose of this article a more liberal taxonomic stance will be taken. Rat snakes have traditionally been divided into two groups, New World and Old World species.
Category: Image - :Black Rat Snake.jpg|thumb|right|350px|Black Rat Snake Elaphe obsoleta obsoleta. The blue eyes indicate that the snake is in a shed cycle.
Though the polyphyletic nature of the genus is almost undisputed, many species are conservatively referred to as Elaphe sp. Rat snakes can grow up to 6ft. long. See, for instance, Black Rat Snake and Grey Rat Snake, subspecies of Elaphe obsoletus.
Examples of snakes found in the Elaphe include:
*Elaphe bairdi (Bairds rat snake)
*Elaphe bimaculata (Twin-spotted rat snake)
*Elaphe carinata (King rat snake)
*Elaphe climacophora (Japanese rat snake)
*Elaphe conspicillata (Japanese forest rat snake)
*Elaphe davidi (David's rat snake)
*Elaphe dione (Dione's rat snake)
*Elaphe emoryi (Great Plains rat snake)
*Elaphe erythrura (Philippine rat snake)
*Elaphe flavirufa (Mexican night snake)
*Elaphe flavolineata (Yellow-striped rat snake)
*Elaphe gloydi (Eastern fox snake)
*Elaphe guttata (Corn snake)
*Elaphe helena (Trinket snake)
*Elaphe hohenacker (Transcaucasian rat snake)
*Elaphe leonardi (Leonard's rat snake)
*Striped Aesculapian rat snake
*Elaphe longissima (Aesculapian snake)
*Elaphe maculata
*Elaphe mandarina (Mandarin rat snake)
*Elaphe moellendorfi (flower snake)
*Elaphe obsoleta (Black rat snake)
*Elaphe obsoleta spiloides (Gray rat snake)
*Elaphe perlacea (Pearl-banded rat snake)
*Elaphe persica (Persian rat snake)
*Elaphe porphyracea (Black-banded trinket snake)
*Elaphe prasina (Green rat snake)
*Elaphe quadrivirgata (Japanese striped snake)
*Elaphe quatuorlineata (Four-lined snake)
*Elaphe radiata (Radiated rat snake)
*Elaphe rufodorsata (Red-backed rat snake)
*Elaphe scalaris (Ladder snake)
*Elaphe schrencki (Korean rat snake)
*Elaphe subradiata (Indonesian rat snake)
*Elaphe taeniura (Beauty rat snake)
*Elaphe vulpina (Fox snake)
Category: Image - :Elaphe obsoleta quadrivittata.jpg|thumb|right|350px|Yellow rat snake Elaphe obsoleta quadrivittata''
Snakes of the Southeast
Habits and Habitat

Rat Snake habitat is widely varied. In the northern part of the state they occur on roads and in swamps, wooded areas, pastures, briar patches, cultivated fields, open sandy places, houses and barns. In southern Louisiana specimens were found near barns and houses, in trees and bushes and near swamps and bayous. Rat snakes are constrictors and their prey includes small mammals, birds and bird eggs, which they either swallow whole or break inside the throat by squeezing it with their vertibrae. Young rat snakes feed mostly on tree frogs, small lizards and baby rodents.
Notice the lumps in this Texas Rat Snake. It apparently has just had a nice meal.
Corn and Rat Snakes
Reproduction
Rat Snakes are egg layers and will lay a clutch of from 6 to 44 eggs (but usually about 15 eggs) in stump holes, tree holes or other dark, moist situations. Several females may nest together. Rat snakes have been know to return to the same area year after year. The eggs hatch about 2 months after laying.
Amazon Spotlight
Interactions with Rat Snakes
The pine and hardwood mixed forest in which we live is prime habitat for Texas Rat Snakes so we have many interactions with them. One of the most interesting occurred one weekend, not long after we bought our place. I was working to clear one of the areas in the garden of invasive imported plants and vines, when I noticed a Pileated Woodpecker acting strangely about 40 feet up in a Loblolly Pine tree.
The bird was giving it's jungle call and pecking on the side of the tree. Then it would fly down a few feet and repeat the process. After it moved down about 15 feet, I was able to see the Rat Snake. The Woodpecker was herding the snake down the tree.
As the pair got closer, I found a long stick and waited at the bottom of the tree. When the snake was in reach, I placed the stick near it so that it could crawl onto it. It worked like a charm and in minutes I had the snake in my hands. I placed it in an empty aquarium with a lid (that used to house hamsters), until my husband got home.
It was a beautiful snake, but since we had erected many bluebird nest boxes in the area where it was found, we decided to relocate it to the riparian area down by the Tchefuncte River where there would be plenty of small mammals for it to eat.
Herping with Dylan Rat Snake Video
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Scribble Down a Comment
enslavedbyfaeries wrote...
Unfortunately, I inherited my grandmother's fear of snakes. It's a terrible thing because I know what a great service they provide to nature as you've done an excellent job of illustrating here.
enslavedbyfaeries wrote...
Unfortunately, I inherited my grandmother's fear of snakes. It's a terrible thing because I know what a great service they provide to nature as you've done an excellent job of illustrating here.
Rat Snake Blog Posts
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