Florida Rat Snake

This article focuses on the north and central american species in the pantherophis genus.

Florida rat snake. The gray rat snake elaphe obsoleta spiloides is the gray subspecies of rat snake is found in the florida panhandle and west into louisiana. Mud and rainbow snakes farancia mud snake rainbow snake pine snakes pituophis black pine snake florida pine snake pine woods snake rhadinea pine woods snake rat snakes. I found a rat snake slithering outside my french doors itapped on the window he came back and put his face up against the glass i have two cats and i didn t know what kind of snake it was my husband took a shovel and carried him to the creek he ran away but never striked he was yellow and brown stripes i live in central florida in the woods. A website dedicated to the identification of florida snakes.

These beautiful snakes have a gray body with large blotches along the back and sides. Red rat snake corn snake pantherophis guttatus. Young will eat lizards and frogs. Perhaps the most common is the eastern rat snake which is widespread from new york to florida.

According to the cincinnati zoo yellow rat snakes are the most common rat snake in the florida peninsula. Different species of snake can often be distinguished by their characteristic color patterns. In florida the rat snake occurs in the panhandle east of the apalachicola river and throughout the peninsula south to key largo however it does readily hybridize with the gray rat snake pantherophis spiloides in the panhandle. Grey rat snakes canada red rat snakes florida keys while these rat snakes may be endangered or threatened in these areas this doesn t mean that they don t have larger populations in the other areas that they roam.

Top of the head b. Underside of the head chin and throat c. There are numerous species and subspecies of rat snake across the world. Its average length ranges from 30 48 inches 76 2 121 92 centimeters but it can grow up to 72 inches 182 9 centimeters.

Front face view of the head d. Here is a quick look at most of florida s snakes by pattern. Weekly keeled scales range. A website dedicated to the identification of florida snakes.

Makes an excellent pet. The red rat snake is the best climbing species of snake in florida tallahassee museum n d. This group of snakes is very common and well known and there are at least ten different known species. They are found in almost every habitat where they prey on rodents birds and birds eggs.

Some are single uniform colors. As with all snakes deforestation and humans encroaching on the rat snake s habitat is the biggest threat of all. Others have dark or light markings organized into stripes spots blotches or some other pattern. This is a morph of the eastern rat snake black rat snake with all over yellow or orange.