The Black Rat Snake

The common rat snake is medium-sized, averaging 42 to 72 inches (106.7 to 183 cm) in length. At the widest point of the snake's body, its average diameter is 1.5 inches (3.8 cm). The rat snake is covered with keeled scales, and has a powerful slender body with a wedge-shaped head. The anal plate of the common rat snake is divided. A variety of subspecies is found across the United States.

The black rat snake, as the name implies, is completely black except for a white chin. Hatchlings of the black rat snake have a pale grey background with black blotches along the back. As the snake matures, the color becomes darker until the snake reaches its adult phase. Hatchlings are often mistaken for copperheads because their skin patterns are similar.Common rat snakes tend to be shy and, if possible, will avoid being confronted. If these snakes are seen and confronted by danger, they tend to freeze and remain motionless. Some adults attempt to protect themselves. They coil their body and vibrate their tails in dead leaves to simulate a rattle. If the snakes continue to be provoked, they will strike.Rat snakes produce a foul-smelling musk and release it on the predator if they are picked up, spreading the musk around with their tail. The musk acts as a deterrent. A few of the rat snake subspecies tend to be more aggressive. The Texas rat snake and the black rat snake are very snappy, while the yellow rat snake is more passive. When alarmed, the Everglades rat snake swims away through the swampy waters. Rat snakes are excellent swimmers.Black rat snakes are frequent visitors to suburban backyards, farms and fields. They are the snake mostly likely to be seen around buildings hunting for rodents, amphibians and young birds. Despite making occasional appearances throughout the summer, black rat snakes are actually very shy and at the sight of danger, will either freeze or run away.
Black rat snakes are between 3 ½ to 7 feet long. They have shiny black scales on the back and a light colored belly; their throat and chin are a white color. 
The head of a black rat snake is wider than the neck and the rest of the body.
Black rat snakes are excellent swimmers and climbers. They will use these skills to catch a variety of food from bird eggs to frogs.   
Remember to give all snakes the respect they are due and keep a safe distance. Although black rat snakes do not usually attack when threatened, there have been extreme cases of black rat snakes charging at predators.  Black rat snakes also produce a strong foul odor when scared to deter predators and people.Look for black rat snakes in fields, woodlands, farmlands and around suburban communities from Connecticut to South Carolina and west to middle of Kansas and Oklahoma.Rat snakes are found from New England south through Florida and west through the eastern half of Texas and Nebraska and north again to southern Wisconsin. The black rat snake is the most widely distributed common rat snake with a range from New England south through Georgia and west across the northern parts of Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana, and north through Oklahoma to southern Wisconsin. There is also an isolated population in southern Canada and northern New York.The yellow rat snake is found along the coast of the Carolinas south through Georgia and Florida. The Everglades rat snake has an isolated population in southern Florida's Everglades. The gray rat snake ranges from southern Georgia and northern Florida west through Mississippi and north to southern Kentucky. The Texas rat snake can be found in southern Oklahoma, Texas, and Louisiana.Common rat snakes live in a variety of habitats with each subspecies preferring a slightly different one. Some of these habitats overlap with one another. Common rat snakes are excellent climbers and spend a lot of time in trees. Black rat snakes live at elevations from sea level to high altitudes in the Appalachian Mountains. Black rat snakes live in habitats ranging from a rocky hillside to flat farmland.