Black rat snake, Pilot black snake, Black snake, Black chicken snake, Black coluber, Chicken snake, Mountain black snake, Mountain pilot snake, Pilot, Rat snake, Rusty black snake, Scaly black snake, Cow snake, Schwartze Schlange, sleepy John, White-throa
The Western rat snake (Pantherophis obsoletus) is a non-venomous species of Colubridae found in central North America. Along with other snakes of the eastern United States, like the Eastern indigo snake or the Eastern racer, it is called 'black snake'.
Di
DiurnalDiurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
Ca
CarnivoreA carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of a...
Te
TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
Pr
PrecocialPrecocial species are those in which the young are relatively mature and mobile from the moment of birth or hatching. Precocial species are normall...
Ov
OviparousOviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
Pr
PredatorPredators are animals that kill and eat other organisms, their prey. Predators may actively search for or pursue prey or wait for it, often conceal...
Ar
ArborealArboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some anima...
No
Non-venomousSo
SolitaryHi
HibernatingHibernation is a state of minimal activity and metabolic depression undergone by some animal species. Hibernation is a seasonal heterothermy charac...
W
starts withThe Western rat snake is a large snake. Juveniles are strongly patterned with brown blotches on a gray background. Darkening occurs rapidly as they grow. Adults are glossy black above with white lips, chin, and throat. Sometimes traces of the "obsolete" juvenile pattern are still discernible in the skin between the scales, especially when stretched after a heavy meal. Aside from the usual variety that is black or has patches of black on a lighter background, color variations include a brown-to-black variant, often with tinges of orange or red, that can be found in southern Oklahoma, Texas, and Louisiana.
Western rat snakes are found west of the Mississippi River, from eastern and southern Iowa southward through Missouri and Arkansas to western Louisiana, westward to eastern Texas, northward through Oklahoma, and eastern Kansas to southeastern Nebraska. Rat snakes live in a variety of habitats ranging from rocky hillsides to flat farmland. They prefer hardwood forests and woodland, wooded canyons, swamps, rocky outcroppings, wooded areas near streams and rivers, farmland near woods, around barns, old fields, and abandoned houses.
Western rat snakes are diurnal creatures. They are usually solitary but during winter they hibernate in dens, often with copperheads and Timber rattlesnakes. Western rat snakes are excellent climbers and are able to climb the trunk of large mature trees without the aid of branches; they are also good swimmers. These snakes are constrictors, meaning they squeeze their prey, coiling around small animals and tightening their grip until they can no longer circulate blood and die of profound hypotension, before eating them. When not fully grown, rat snakes are prey to many animals, including other snakes. When startled, they may freeze and wrinkle themselves into a series of kinks. If they feel further threatened, they may flee quickly or perform a tail vibration (potentially a form of mimicry, which makes them sound like rattlesnakes). They are also capable of producing a foul-smelling musk, which they will release onto predators if picked up. They spread the musk with their tails in hopes of deterring the threat. When cornered or provoked, Western rat snakes are known to stand their ground and can become aggressive.
Western rat snakes are carnivores that often consume mice, voles, rats, and other small vertebrates they can catch. They also eat other snakes, frogs, lizards, chipmunks, squirrels, juvenile rabbits, juvenile opossums, songbirds, and bird eggs.
Western rat snakes breed in late May and early June. Males use pheromones to attract females passing through their territories and will initiate the mating process with the female. Five weeks after mating the female lays about 12-20 eggs in a hidden area, under hollow logs or leaves, or in abandoned burrows. The eggs hatch about 65-70 days later from late August to early October. The hatchlings are 28-41 cm (11-16 in) in total length and they look like miniature fox snakes. They are independent from birth and don't require parental care.
There are no major threats to Western rat snakes at present. However, locally they do suffer from the loss of habitat through deforestation and different forms of intensive development.
According to IUCN, the Western rat snake is locally common and widespread throughout its range but no overall population estimate is available. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today are stable.
