Black Rat Snake
Elaphe obsoleta

This is one of the biggest snakes in the U.S. with records exceeding eight feet in length. Adult Black Rat snakes are uniformly black with a whitish belly. They are powerful constrictors suffocating rats, birds, squirrels and even small rabbits and then swallowing them whole. They also seem particularly fond of birds and bird eggs.They are equally at home in the trees or on the ground. Rat snakes are usually associated with wetlands and are often seen swimming in the Savannah River. Baby rat snakes are boldly patterned at hatching but lose these markings as they grow. Although they grow to impressive sizes, these snakes are nonvenomous and pose no real threat to people.

Black Rat Snake 


This information is provided as a public service by the
Savannah River Ecology Laboratory Outreach Program.