For those of you out there that hate King snakes (black snakes)

[RM44]

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Don't feel bad. Some folks are just freaked out by them. I used to be freaked out about Norman Bates getting me in the shower (seriously, I would hurt myself leaping out of the shower if water got in my eyes because I could hear the music from Psycho start playing if I couldn't see in the shower!). Sometimes we have unusual fears and cannot figure out how we got them. Just rely on your good friends for any snake removal around your place!

 

[RM44]

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....Unless it is a Cottonmouth. Those are black. HOwever, those have a "fat" body compared to how big it is. Those don't grow as big length wise as "George" and have that pit viper head triangle head. Also, never really heard of anyone being bitten by a cottonmouth. I have heard of folks being bitten by a copperhead. We live close to an area where people can hike and climb. There have been folks bitten from sticking their hands in crevices when climbing.

Interesting that you would say that. When I lived in SC I could have sworn the cottonmouths were black, but here in GA they are not (and in TN they are not). The GA and TN ones are more of a muddy brown color. I started thinking I was mis-remembering the ones in SC. Now I've got to go google that!

ETA:

Yep, Google says they are "black, brown or olive colored". However, they have a "pattern" on their sides so not totally black, brown or olive due to the mottled or patterned change going from back to belly. I did see some pics of black cottonmouths though.

 

[TwistedSerpent]

A snakes natural coloring can vary hugely throught its range, isolated pockets and locales dont have much of a chance to really mix with others so their genetic coloring keeps getting more and more concentrated until the majority of the population look alike however still look different from other members of the same species in different areas. Black ratsnakes for example a lot of them in their northern range are not very black at all, instead having the normal grey background with dark saddles like they do as babies, whereas in many southern states they are solid black as adults. Same species just a different range of the genetics that all create color.

 

[Jaguaress]

That is so cool. I'm learning a lot from this thread.

 

[fl_deb]

So how can you tell wheather the snake you are dealing with is a black racer, a black king or a black rat snake?

 

[Thamnophis]

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The easiest way is to be with someone who has learned and can show you - not only physical differences but behavioral differences.

Short of that, check out Field Guides at the book store or online. It will take a while to learn to see the differences, especially since eash species has variations over it's range. Black rats become gray rats, texas rats, yellow rats, etc - and there are areas where the sub-species intergrade producing color morphs like the "greenish" rats in the Carolinas.

But a couple big differences:

Rat snakes are blocky with flatter sides to their bodies. Their head is more distinct from their neck. Their scales have a central "keel" down them which gives them a slightly rough appearance. They are the biggest of the 3 species - the longest ever recorded was 101 inches; almost 8 1/2 feet. Its a great rarity to find one much over 6 feet. Rat snakes can be almost any color but are mostly to almost completely black in much the eastern and north central US. Corn snakes are also a species of rat snakes and are often called red rat snakes. There are yellow rat snakes in NC and SC to Florida, grey rat snakes in parts of south central US, Texas rat snakes in east texas and adjacent Louisiana - plus about a dozen other species and subspecies The black rat has distinct square black blotches on it's otherwise white belly. They are the best climbers of the bunch - often times seen in rafters or trees. They sometimes kink their bodies when approached.

Racers can be almost any shade of black, grey or brown and in some areas are greenish (Western U.S.) or even blue (Michigan and adjacent states). They are smooth scaled and sleek appearing. They can move very fast and often do. They are sight hunters so have big round eyes. They sometimes pick their heads up to "look around". Racers do not have black blotches on their bellies as rat and king snakes do. They can and do climb but not as persistently as rat snakes. In my experience you're more likely to find them out in the grass / pasture or under cover, boards or tin for example

King snakes are rather more shiny than the other 2 species - thus their scientific name: Lampropeltis, meaning bright like a lamp "pelt" or skin. They have heads that are less distinct from their thicker necks. They are more burrowers than the other 2 and use their thick neck muscles to push into loose soil. They are more secretive and more nocturnal than the rats or racers. They are less likely to be found out in the open and much less likely to climb. Kingsnakes can be solid black (the subspecies L. g. niger) around southern Indiana, Tennesse etc; or each scale can have a white or cream colored dot as in the speckled subspecies found in Missouri, Arkansas, etc. The dots can partially or fully form thin bands or rings around the snakes body as in the eastern subspecies from NJ down to Florida or the snake can be almost creamy yellow as in the south florida subspecies.

All are widely adapted and will eat a variety of food, from crickets to mammals. Black rats often feed on young squirrels that it plucks from nests in trees and are great mousers - they get right down to the rat/mouse nests and wipe them out. Racers will eat birds and mammals but also feed on frogs and lizards - especially the young. Young racers seem to love big black field crickets Kingsnakes will eat mice, birds, turtle eggs, lizards and frogs as well as other snakes.

The young of rat snakes and racers are blotched, but the pattern fades with age. Many become solid patterned as adults. King snake babies are very similar to their adult patterns so change less as they grow.

 

[chickenwhisperer]

. . .

 

[redhen]

Another question:
Can you ever come across a rattle snake with no rattle?
Cause i SWEAR that we had one of those black looking timber rattlers here...same head shape and rough scales etc...
but i saw nor heard NO rattle? but i did not see its tail end... it was coiled... and it was feisty as all heck too! (it struck at hubby when he walked by it..)
i just tossed it down our hill with a rake... but now i'm wondering if i should have killed it if it was a rattler...

(rattlers and copperheads are the only snakes that i'll ever kill..) although i have NEVER seen a rattler around my house .. only copperheads...
What other snake could it have been up here in Mass? I'll try to find a pic of what it looked like...
it looked like this snake (3rd pic down...the black looking one...)
..but the "pattern" was a lightish brown VERY faded under the black color of the snake.....
anyone have any ideas what snake it was? It had the rough scales like the rattler pic too... and the triangle head... (it wasnt a hog nose..)... i just can NOT figure out what snake it was! Because it did not rattle at ALL and i saw no rattle... and i messed with it for a bit trying to figure out what it was..

... picked it up with a rake and everything because i didnt even think of rattle snake at all at the time...
could it be a cross breed??

http://www.masnakes.org/snakes/timber_rattle/index.html

 

[RM44]

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Not sure if you've seen this up there, but down here in GA there are a few non-poisonous snakes that can puff up and will stick the end of their tails down in the leaves and rattle them trying to act like a rattlesnake. I just caught an Eastern King a few weeks ago and it immediately started rattling it's tail in the leaves. (It didn't coil though....). But it puffed up and hissed, and after I picked it up it musk-ed me all over and kept hissing and groaning at me (it was really, really mad. I don't know why? All I wanted to do was take it's picture and show it to the kids!) Anyway, I read that some other snakes, including water snakes can shake their tails trying to duplicate a rattler. And water snakes fool me with their head shape too, as they seem a bit flat and almost shovel shaped when they take a defensive posture. Were you by any chance around a wet area?

 

[redhen]

Quote:
Not sure if you've seen this up there, but down here in GA there are a few non-poisonous snakes that can puff up and will stick the end of their tails down in the leaves and rattle them trying to act like a rattlesnake. I just caught an Eastern King a few weeks ago and it immediately started rattling it's tail in the leaves. (It didn't coil though....). But it puffed up and hissed, and after I picked it up it musk-ed me all over and kept hissing and groaning at me (it was really, really mad. I don't know why? All I wanted to do was take it's picture and show it to the kids!) Anyway, I read that some other snakes, including water snakes can shake their tails trying to duplicate a rattler. And water snakes fool me with their head shape too, as they seem a bit flat and almost shovel shaped when they take a defensive posture. Were you by any chance around a wet area?

Interesting! Yeah..my back yard goes right into a swamp.. and i have river on my road also...