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RAT
SNAKES
Yellow Red Gray
YELLOW
RAT SNAKE
Elaphe
obsoleta spiloides
IDENTIFICATION:
This snake's color can range anywhere from orange
to yellow to olive green. The one unifying factor
is the set of 4 stripes that go from head to tail
on adults. Young yellow rat snakes have very faint
or no stripes. They have a blotched pattern that
gradually fades. These snakes can get quite large,
reaching 7 feet! The yellow, black, gray, Everglades,
and bairds rat snakes are all subspecies that look
very similar at birth.
RANGE
AND HABITAT: Yellow rat snakes are found throughout
most of Florida and the Keys. They also live in
a narrow strip along the Atlantic coast through
Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. They
are often found in warm southern swamps, and are
also common in abandoned buildings and barns. They
probably got their nickname "chicken snake" from
numerous barn yard sightings.
REPRODUCTION:
This snake will lay anywhere between 4 to 28 eggs
in a clutch during the summer. The eggs are typically
laid in rotten logs.
DIET:
Besides rats, yellow rat snakes will eat a wide
variety of small mammals, birds, and eggs. They
are considered the best tree climbing snake in
Florida. The scales on their bellies are squared
off, which aids them tremendously with climbing.
They are strong constrictors, and kill their prey
by suffocation.
FUTURE:
Yellow rat snakes are one of the more common snakes
in Florida. They adapt well to residential areas
as long as there is enough prey to catch. They
are also quite popular as pets, and are easily
bred in captivity.
(Elaphe
guttata guttata)
IDENTIFICATION: This
is one of the more beautiful snakes found in Florida. They
have a combination of red, orange, and black markings.
The markings vary from snake to snake, but in general
they are covered with reddish brown blotches outlined
in black. The
background color is a lighter red or orange. Their
belly has a black and white checkerboard pattern
that resembles Indian corn; for this reason, this
type of
snake is often called a corn snake. However,
red rat snakes can have highly variable coloring. Some
do not have any black pigment, and are more orange and white. Some
do not have red pigment, and are instead gray, black and white. Some
are albinos that have only a small amount of yellow, but otherwise are bright
white. And that is just the 3 most
common variations!
RANGE
AND HABITAT: The
red rat snake can be found throughout much of the
southern United
States. Their range stretches from
the middle of New Mexico and Colorado to the east coast. They
are found in just about any habitat, but prefer abandoned buildings and old barns.
They are excellent climbers and can be found high in the trees, or down in an
animal burrow.
REPRODUCTION: This
species of snake breeds in winter through spring
depending on warm
temperatures. They have been known
to have up to thirty eggs in a clutch! The
eggs usually hatch in about 2 months, and the young look very similar to adults.
DIET: The
red rat snake dines almost exclusively on rats
and mice, though they
will occasionally eat birds. They
are a constricting snake, and squeeze their prey to suffocate it before
swallowing.
FUTURE: The
red rats are very common throughout most of their
range. They are popular as pets, and are easy to
breed in captivity. However,
they are considered a species of special concern
in the lower
Florida Keys due to loss of habitat.
RED
RAT SNAKE (GRAY PHASE) (Elaphe
guttata guttata)
IDENTIFICATION:
This is an unusual color variation of the typical
red rat snake. Instead of red and orange, they
have a background color of gray, with black splotches.
This color phase appears to be found exclusively
between the Fort Myers area and Lake Okeechobee.
Their belly has a black and white checkerboard
pattern that resembles Indian corn. This type of
snake is often called a corn snake for this reason.
RANGE
AND HABITAT: The red rat snake can be found throughout
much of the southern United States. Their range
stretches from the middle of New Mexico and Colorado
to the east coast. They are found in just about
any habitat, but prefer abandoned buildings and
old barns. They are excellent climbers and can
be found high in the trees, or down in an animal
burrow.
REPRODUCTION:
This species of snake breeds in winter through
spring, depending on warm temperatures. They have
been known to have up to thirty eggs in a clutch.
The eggs usually hatch in about 2 months, and the
young look very similar to adults.
DIET:
The red rat snake dines almost exclusively on rats
and mice. They will occasionally eat birds. They
are a constricting snake, so they squeeze their
prey to suffocate it before swallowing.
FUTURE:
The red rats are very common throughout their range.
They are popular as pets, and are easy to breed
in captivity. They are considered a species of
special concern in the lower Florida Keys due to
habitat loss.
Anne
Grace
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