I was at the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge again today and came across this gorgeous Black/Yellow Rat Snake hybrid trying to look like a stick in the road.

They only let you think they are a stick for so long.

Well, you went and made him mad, alright!

I know they're harmless, but that middle picture is still a whole lotta "fuck that" for me.

Great pics, man.

He's a grumpy one!

What did you do,throw a rock at it to piss it off.
I have picked them up and found them gentle.

I didn't fall for his "lookin like a stick" trick.

Seriously, though, I think he saw his reflection in the lens and started freaking out.

Every black rat snake I've ever caught was very docile. Here's a 6 foot female that was so docile i could let her hang on my neck. But when she saw her reflection in the lens, she freaked out.

Here's one I found swimming far out in the middle of the lake. She let me pick her up and was not aggressive at all - as if she was a pet.

Obviously people call different snakes different names regionally, the I’ve not met a rat/corn snake that won’t try to bite you around my area.

Those last two look very different from the first (to me).

The first one is a black rat snake/yellow rat snake intergrade. The second two are pure black rat snakes.

The black rat snake and the yellow rat snake are the same genus and species, but are colored differently and have a little different habits (yellow is more arboreal, the black more terrestrial), Their habitats overlap and since they are the same genus and species, they can and do interbreed. When they do, the produce a snake that looks like the first one.

Here's a yellow rat snake (not my picture).

Those are beautiful snakes. I'm partial to the kings myself, but rat snakes are go anywhere, do anything iconic North American snakes. Nice shots...

quote:

Originally posted by Micropterus:
The first one is a black rat snake/yellow rat snake intergrade. The second two are pure black rat snakes.

The black rat snake and the yellow rat snake are the same genus and species, but are colored differently and have a little different habits (yellow is more arboreal, the black more terrestrial), Their habitats overlap and since they are the same genus and species, they can and do interbreed. When they do, the produce a snake that looks like the first one.

Here's a yellow rat snake (not my picture).

I guess we'd need to go off scientific names. I'm sure VA and FL have very similar snakes. first is a black rat snake here to my knowledge. Those last two look like a southern black racer to me and crazy fat ones at that.

Again I've never met a rat/racer snake that wont pull back and try to bite the mess out of me.

The Black Racers and Black Rat Snakes do have some color similarities.

Here's a Northern Black Racer (very similar to a Southern), that I found under an old tarp on same game land.



Here's a Black Rat.


The Racers are smaller when full grown. In my experience, Racers are way more agressive. (The only snake in my life that ever came at me was a Black Racer.) I usually don't even bother picking up Racers since they are so pissy. The Racers also have a round body profile in cross section. The Rat snake profile in cross section is like a loaf of bread.

Both snakes are called Black Snake by folks who don't know the difference. Both are voracious pest eaters. They live in the same areas. And to cofuse things further, the Black Rat (Pantherophis obsoletus) is a true constrictor. The Racer is only a constrictor in name (Coluber Constrictor), The Racer actually chases down its food, over powers it, and swallows it alive.

 
The racer also moves a bit faster, at least the ones here in AZ do (very fast).
 

quote:

Originally posted by P220 Smudge:
Well, you went and made him mad, alright!

I know they're harmless, but that middle picture is still a whole lotta "fuck that" for me.

Great pics, man.

YEP, ditto that!

I just flat don’t like snakes.
Where I grew up in Ohio we had tons of garter snakes and black rat snakes. They wouldn’t bother you pretty much no matter what you did to them.

We’d come across blue racers on occasions and those little bastards were nasty and they are crazy fast. They’d race after us on occasion when we were on dirt bikes and in a straight line kept up pretty well.

Never realized their were black racers too don’t think I ever came across one.

here in Centrl VA, (and in Halifax where my grandparents lived) a black snake was a black snake,

and then there are racers,

some folks called black snakes racers too, (they tended to raise there head up and haul ass)

we , as kids, were under strick orders (or grandma pulled out the switch) to never mess with a black snake,
unless found in the chicken coop, then that one would be relocated to a corn crib,

NEVER kill a black snake, (remember her vividly telling us that)



a few years ago I saw a rather long brown snake go thru the weeds around my garden then thru it and exit out back towards the woods,

thought at first it was a copper head, and was gonna dispatch it,,,
as in relocate ,,, maybe,,,


however the color and patterns were not right, and when I got a good look the head and eyes, I think it was actually a juvy racer, (according to pics I found on the net at the time)

it was scooting right along, and gone thru the woods in no time

Nice photos!

quote:

Originally posted by henryaz:
 
The racer also moves a bit faster, at least the ones here in AZ do (very fast).
 

We have a couple of King snakes in our neighborhood that keep the baby Diamondbacks in check.

Sometimes in the morning one would scare the hell out of a girl on her way to work.

quote:

Originally posted by GWbiker:
We have a couple of King snakes in our neighborhood that keep the baby Diamondbacks in check.

Diamondbacks seem to be the most prevalent rattlers around Wickenburg, except for our neighborhood, which seems to be some sort of Mohave haven. In over 15 years here, in our neighborhood, I've seen about 90% Mohaves and but a few Diamondbacks. But we also have plenty of King snakes, garters, racers, and the one I thing is the most beautiful (and useful) is the Sonoran Gopher snake.
 

 

quote:

Originally posted by henryaz:
Diamondbacks seem to be the most prevalent rattlers around Wickenburg, except for our neighborhood, which seems to be some sort of Mohave haven. In over 15 years here, in our neighborhood, I've seen about 90% Mohaves and but a few Diamondbacks. But we also have plenty of King snakes, garters, racers, and the one I thing is the most beautiful (and useful) is the Sonoran Gopher snake.
 

 

Beautiful pic of a beautiful snake!!! We just moved to Arizona in July and I'm looking forward to seeing some of local snakes up close! We had Gopher snakes where I previously lived in Los Angeles County (CA), but I think the Sonoran variety are much more colorful!!!

quote:

Originally posted by pulicords:
We had Gopher snakes where I previously lived in Los Angeles County (CA), but I think the Sonoran variety are much more colorful!!!

I remember your picture of one in CA with its head down a hole.