Elaphe obsoleta obsoleta
Adult size:The common rat snake is medium-sized, averaging 42 to 72 inches in length. At the widest point of the snake's body, its average diameter is 1.5 inches.
Range: It is from New England south through Georgia and west across the northern parts of Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana, and north through Oklahoma to southern Wisconsin. There is also an isolated population in southern Canada and northern New York.
Habitat: Common rat snakes live in a variety of habitats with each subspecies preferring a slightly different one. Some of these habitats overlap with one another. Common rat snakes are excellent climbers and spend a lot of time in trees. Black rat snakes live at elevations from sea level to high altitudes in the Appalachian Mountains. Black rat snakes live in habitats ranging from a rocky hillside to flat farmland.
Feeding: Black rat snakes are primarily known as rodent eaters, however other food preferences do exist. As babies, rat snakes eat small lizards, baby mice, and an occasional small frog. Adult black rat snakes have a diet mainly consisting of mice and rats, but also include chipmunks, moles, and other small rodents. Adults also eat bird eggs and young. Black rat snakes kill their prey by constriction. In captivaty they eat mice and rats.
Thanks for the great pic. I just stopped for a Bk Rat Snake crossing the road in my neighborhood (East TN). It was about 3.5 ft long. It may have been trying to catch a bird as there was one right in front of it when I stopped. Bird flew, and I got out of the car to see if the snake was clear of the road and watched as it slithered into the grass on a wooded lot. Always happy to have a wildlife encounter!
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