Wonders of Wildlife: Gray Rat Snake

Gray Rat Snake

Other Common Names: Chicken Snake, Oak Snake, Ratsnake

Scientific Name: Pantherophis spiloides

Found in Alabama: Fairly common statewide

Diet: Carnivore (eats animals)

Gray Rat Snake
Monty Morris

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CLASSIFICATION

Scientists use basic traits to
group animals into different taxonomic
classes.

For a taxonomic classification chart comparing key traits of common backyard wildlife,
CLICK HERE!

What type of animal am I?

I am a vertebrate (an animal with a spine or backbone).
I am cold-blooded, so I cannot control my body temperature.
I have scales on the outside of my body.
I breathe with lungs just like you.
I do not have legs.

The Gray Rat Snake is a REPTILE!

*Read AWF’s “Snakes Saving Lives” article to learn more about how important snakes are to humans and our ecosystem.

How to Handle a Snake Encounter – a document made to help you and your students understand snakes and how to handle an encounter with one

IDENTIFICATION TIPS

Size:

Adults are an average of 3-5 feet long but can reach 7 feet.

Key Characteristics:

Mostly gray in coloration with darker gray blotches along the body.
Lighter colored belly with darker blotches that form stripes towards the tail.
Individuals in the southern part of Alabama are usually lighter gray than those in the northern parts of the state.

Juveniles (Young):

Young are similar in appearance to the adults but are smaller in size.

Gray Rat Snake
Tyler Burgener

Alabama’s Snakes

Alabama is home to 50 species of snakes
Only 6 of the 50 species are venomous, making them dangerous if they bite you

Venom is a toxin that is injected into you with a needle or teeth.
Poison is a toxin you ingest by swallowing or absorbing it.
Snakes cannot be poisonous, but they can be venomous.

Venemous Snakes in Alabama

Copperhead

Wikimedia – Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren

Head is wider than neck
Top of head is copper colored
Dark hourglass bands

Cottonmouth

Wikimedia – scott.zona

Head wider than neck and body
Broad, dark facial strip
The name “cottonmouth” comes
from the inside of their mouth
being bright white

Eastern Coral Snake

Wikimedia – scott.zona

Slender with a short, blunt head
that is slightly wider than body
Nose is black
Body contains alternating bands
of red yellow and black with the
red and yellow rings touching

Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake

Wikimedia – Peter Paplanus

Short, stout tail with rattle on the end
Yellow diamond shapes on body
surrounding brown and black center
Wide head with dark band

Pigmy Rattlesnake

Wikimedia – User:Haplochromis

Gray to grayish brown in color
with dark markings
Small rattle on the end of the tail

Timber Rattlesnake

Wikimedia – Peter Paplanus

Broad head wider than neck
Short, stout black tail with
rattle on the end
Coloration varies from brown
to gray to pinkish
Dark, bent crossbands sometimes
with a red stripe running between
the bands

Gray rat snakes are not venomous and pose no threat to humans! None of our native species eat humans.

If you see a snake, it is best to calmy walk away and leave it alone.
Snakes are generally not aggressive and will not bite unless provoked.

PHYSICAL AND BEHAVIORAL ADAPTATIONS

PHYSICAL ADAPTATIONS

Gray rat snakes consume whole prey:

Snakes don’t have arms and hands like we do, so are not able to cut their food into pieces like we can.
A snake’s teeth are recurved (pointing slightly inward). Once they grab their prey (animals they eat), the recurved teeth prevent the animal from moving toward the front of the mouth. Instead, these teeth ensure that the prey moves toward the back of the mouth.
A snake’s jaw structure allows it to consume prey without having to tear it apart. The lower jaw is composed of two separate pieces. These pieces are held together in the center by a stretchy ligament, allowing the space between the two pieces to increase. The upper and lower jaw components are more loosely connected than most animals, allowing the snake to open its mouth wider than its body.
These structures, in addition to the slow forward movement of a snake’s head along its prey, allow them to consume their prey whole.

Rat Snake Eating Chicken Eggs
Texas Snake Initiative

Snakes have muscles to help them move:

Snakes don’t have legs like we do and cannot walk. Instead, they slither along the ground.
Snakes have between 10,000 and 15,000 muscles. In contrast, humans have between 700 and 800 muscles.
A snake is able to move by contracting and releasing these muscles along its body.
Some snakes use these muscles to help them grip vertical surfaces, like trees. The gray rat snake is an excellent climber!

Snakes have scales:

Snakes, like all reptiles, have scales.
The scales on a snake’s belly help “grab” onto small rough spots on the ground to create friction (resistance) and allow the snake to pull itself forward.
Unlike us, snakes do not lose water through their skin in the form of sweat. The scales on a reptile also help prevent water loss by preventing evaporation (when water changes from liquid to gas) through the skin. This reduces the risk of dehydration for them and allows them to live in extremely dry environments.

Gray rat snakes use camouflage:

Many snakes, including the gray rat snake, use camouflage to help them blend in with their surroundings.
Blending in makes them more difficult to spot for animals that may want to eat them like hawks or owls.
It also allows them to not be seen by animals they might want to eat like songbirds, squirrels, or mice.

BEHAVIORAL ADAPTATIONS

Gray rat snakes are diurnal and nocturnal:

They are active during the day (diurnal) in the spring and fall.
They are active during the night (nocturnal) in the warmer summer months.

Gray rat snakes are excellent climbers:

Although gray rat snakes do a lot of their hunting on the ground, they are exceptionally good at climbing.
They are known to climb trees and buildings in search of birds and eggs to eat.
They also climb trees in search of cavities in which to nest.
Nesting in cavities can help reduce the number of eggs eaten by ground dwelling animals.

Gray rat snakes avoid being eaten by predators:

Gray rat snakes perform several behaviors that help them avoid being eaten by predators (animals that eat them).
Initially to avoid being spotted, they will remain motionless or kink up their body to appear stick-like.
If they are spotted by a predator, they may try one of several warnings to scare it away.
A gray rat snake may mimic a rattlesnake by shaking its tail against fallen leaves or other ground materials to create a buzzing sound.
They may also release a foul-smelling musk or raise their head to strike or pretend like they are going to strike.

Gray Rat Snake Climbing Tree Trunk
Sheila Brown

Gray Rat Snake Striking
Dreamstime

Gray rat snakes hibernate:

The gray rat snake is cold-blooded and does not produce its own body heat like we do.
During the colder winter months, it must protect itself by entering a type of hibernation (becoming dormant as if it is in a deep sleep).
Their breathing and heartbeat slow down during hibernation like your breathing and heartbeat slows down while you are asleep.
This allows them to conserve energy.
Although they are normally solitary (living alone), they are known to hibernate in groups under the soil or under rocky outcrop areas.
They will emerge on warmer days during the colder months, but only for brief periods of time.
Once warmer spring weather arrives, they come out of hibernation and begin looking for food and mates.

Gray rat snakes don’t eat very often:

As humans, we must eat food multiple times a day to get energy, but adult gray rat snakes typically eat once a week.
If food is unavailable or they are unsuccessful at hunting, they can miss a few weeks of eating becaues their digestive system is much slower than mammals’ or birds’.
Young gray rat snakes must eat more frequently than adults and cannot go as long without a meal because they do not have fat reserves built up at a young age.

LIFE CYCLE

Life Cycle Stages of the Gray Rat Snake

Nest:

Female lays the leathry eggs under solid objects such as rocks and rotting logs or stumps.

Eggs:

Females lay an average of 12-18 hard-shelled eggs per clutch (can range from 5-30 eggs per clutch).

Young:

Babies are around 11-16 inches long when they hatch.
They are similar in appearance to the adults.

Life Span:

Have an average lifespan of 10-15 years, but can potentially live up to 20 years.

Gray Rat Snake Eggs
Jay Eubanks

Young Gray Rat Snake
Wikimedia – Jeromi Hefner

HABITAT NEEDS

Natural Habitat Needs	Adults	Young
Food	Carnivores (eat animals). Eat mainly warm-blooded (animals that make their own body heat) animals. Mainly eat mice and eggs. They will also consume insects, rats, bats, and moles. Usually eat around once a week.	Carnivores (eat animals). Eat mainly cold-blooded (animals that do not make their own body heat) animals like lizards and small frogs.
Water	Majority of hydration obtained from food sources, but they will drink from puddles and other water sources if needed.
Shelter	Semi-arboreal (live in trees) and will take shelter in trees to avoid predators (animals that eat them). They are also decent swimmers and will seek shelter near water sources.
Places to Raise Young	Females lay eggs under logs, rocks, stumps, and other objects that help conceal the eggs.

If you want to offer resources in your backyard habitat for this species, consider the suggestions below.

Backyard Habitat Needs	Adults	Young
Food	Plant native grasses to support small wildlife. Do not remove trees that support life for small mammals and birds.	Plant native grasses that support small wildlife. Have a small source of still water to support lizard and frog populations.
Water	Majority of water obtained through food sources but ponds, puddles, and bird baths can be added as an alternative.
Shelter	Keep forested areas and grasslands intact. Do not remove snags (standing, dead trees) that provide natural cavities where they can take shelter.
Places to Raise Young	Do not remove logs and rocks where females can deposit their eggs.

ECOLOGICAL ROLE

Animals play an important ecological role in the health of habitats and ecysostems.

*Read AWF’s “Snakes Saving Lives” article to learn more about how important snakes are to humans and our ecosystem.

Food Source:

Rat snakes are more vulnerable to predators (animals that eat them) when they are younger and smaller.
Rat snakes are a food source for hawks, owls, foxes, and racoons.

Control Rodent Populations:

Rat snakes eat mostly small rodents such as mice and rats but are known to eat other small mammals like moles and squirrels.
Population control for these rodents is very important, as they can cause damage to electrical wiring in buildings and crops grown for human consumption.

Benefit to Humans:

The rats and other rodents that rat snakes eat are direct and indirect carriers of diseases.
Rat droppings can make humans sick with a variety of illnesses, and these rodents are also the main carriers of ticks which bite humans and can spread diseases such as
Lyme Disease.
Rat snakes help keep rodent populations under control which helps keep us safe and healthy.

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