The Black Rat Snake (Elaphe obsoleta) - also called pilot black snake or simply black snake - is a non-venomous colubrid species found in North America. It prefers heavily wooded areas and is known for having excellent climbing ability, including the ability to climb the trunk of large mature trees without the aid of branches. The Black Rat Snake is a competent swimmer but usually (not always) uses this ability only to travel to additional hunting territory.
Ten Facts about Black Rat Snake
- The adults average 41/2 to 51/2 feet long but they are regularly report at and over 7ft long.
- When startled, they may freeze and wrinkle themselves into a series of kinks.
- If they feel further threatened, they may flee quickly or vibrate their tails in dead leaves (a form of mimicry, to make it sound like a rattlesnake).
- They are also capable of producing a foul smelling musk which they will release onto a predator if picked up.
- Though they do consume mice and rats, the Black Rat Snakes will also hunt other snakes, chipmunks, squirrels, birds, and bird eggs.
- The male snake wraps its tail around the female with their vents nearly touching. The male then everts one of its sex organs, a hemipenis, into the female sex organ.
- The female lays about 12 to 20 eggs after five weeks and they hatch about 65 to 70 days later.
- The Black Rat Snake can be found in a great variety of habitats. It can be easily found in the largest city to the secluded mountains of the North. They can be found in deciduous and hardwood.
- Rat snakes are found from New England south through Florida and west through the eastern half of Texas and Nebraska and north again to southern Wisconsin.
- Life span is 30 years.
