| Black Rat Snake (Elaphe obsoleta) (Say, 1823) |
| Synonyms: Pantherophis obsoletus, Pantherophis spiloides, Elaphe spiloides, Gray Ratsnake, Central Rat Snake, Central ratsnake |
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Elaphe obsoleta (or Pantherophis obsoletus) sensu lato inhabits North America east of the Rocky Mountains, i.e., from southern Ontario and New England to Texas and Florida; may enter northeastern Mexico. It occurs in deciduous and mixed forests, pinelands, savannas, edges of swamps and marshes, mangroves, caves, old fields, and abandoned man-made structures. This is one of the largest North American snakes, total body length 150-185 cm, exceptionally to 257 cm. Colour and body pattern are variable (black, grey, olive-gray, yellow, or orange, with dark blotches and sometimes longitudinal stripes); in E. o. obsoleta immature are gray with dark blotches. This species is an excellent climber and often forages up in trees, though also on the ground. It preys on small mammals, birds and bird eggs; occasionally on lizards, other snakes and invertebrates. Mating takes in late spring-early summer and the female lays 5-27 eggs in hollow logs and heaps of decomposing vegetation. It is not unusual to see male Black Rat Snakes following scent trails left by females, e.g., across the roads. Many get roadkilled. This photo below illustrates male Elaphe obsoleta alleghaniensis mating with a recently roadkilled female.
In the early 21st century, the taxonomy of North American rat snakes underwent significant changes, and E. obsoleta was split into three species: E. obsoleta (western), E. spiloides (central), and E. alleghaniensis (eastern ratsnakes). Additionally, all of the New World Elaphe were moved to the resurrected genus Pantherophis. Furthermore, some taxonomists have scrapped the name obsoleta altogether, as an invalid taxon, thus making “obsoleta” obsolete! Much uncertainty remains regarding the distributions, morphological differences, and, indeed, validity of E. obsoleta, E. alleghaniensis and E. spiloides. Because of these uncertainties, we follow Ernst and Ernst (2003), and treat this species as Black Rat Snake (Elaphe obsoleta).
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