Rat snake

How to identify it

Adults are usually shiny black, gray or yellow with stripes
Young are gray with dark blotches and get mistaken for copperheads
Body shaped like a loaf of bread in cross-section
Round pupils

Size: 42–72 in (total length). Habitat: Woods, farms and suburbs across the East and Midwest; good climbers.

Also called black rat snake, gray rat snake, Texas rat snake, chicken snake.

Includes the eastern (P. alleghaniensis), gray (P. spiloides) and western (P. obsoletus) rat snakes.

Where it lives

Lives here
Rare records
Gone
Not here

Lives in 28 states; rare records from 8 more states. Tap a state for details.

When it is out

Open US records by month; most fall in April to July.

Look-alikes

Copperhead vs Rat Snake Copperhead: medically significant

State by state

State	Status	Open records	Counties
Texas	Lives here	2,592	164
North Carolina	Lives here	2,030	99
Virginia	Lives here	1,366	109
Louisiana	Lives here	1,024	46
Florida	Lives here	950	51
Georgia	Lives here	746	84
Pennsylvania	Lives here	638	56
Maryland	Lives here	618	23
New York	Lives here	589	19
Kansas	Lives here	574	58
Oklahoma	Lives here	567	63
Illinois	Lives here	536	31
Missouri	Lives here	473	55
Ohio	Lives here	436	58
Tennessee	Lives here	413	53
Alabama	Lives here	405	61
Arkansas	Lives here	367	46
South Carolina	Lives here	263	38
Indiana	Lives here	257	50
Kentucky	Lives here	253	45
Mississippi	Lives here	165	40
West Virginia	Lives here	155	36
New Jersey	Lives here	132	11
Connecticut	Lives here	124	8
Nebraska	Lives here	88	12
Delaware	Lives here	86	3
Michigan	Lives here	47	10
Iowa	Lives here	26	7
Wisconsin	Rare records	29	1
Vermont	Rare records	21	2
Rhode Island	Rare records	14	1
Massachusetts	Rare records	6	3
Minnesota	Rare records	4	2
Arizona	Rare records	2	1
California	Rare records	2	0
Alaska	Rare records	1	1

States not listed have no open records and are outside the range.

Questions

Where does the rat snake live?

In 28 states: Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia. Rare records also come from Alaska, Arizona, California, Massachusetts, Minnesota and Rhode Island and other states.

Is the rat snake dangerous?

Harmless. Not venomous.

How do you identify a rat snake?

Adults are usually shiny black, gray or yellow with stripes. Young are gray with dark blotches and get mistaken for copperheads. Body shaped like a loaf of bread in cross-section.

When is the rat snake most active?

Most open US records fall in April to July.