Reptile & Amphibian Forums

A interesting subject came up of Black Rats and Emoryi in Kansas and maybe even of Missouri. While integration of milk snake are oblivious in mostly Kansas and a small part believed in Missouri, and of over 30 years of observing these species, I haven't known or heard of integration of the 2 rat snakes in the wild where distribution range clearly overlaps. I know or heard besides the milk snake inter-breeding of Texas Rats, several species of rattlesnakes, corn/red rat snakes, speckled king with splendida, and even the Bull Snake and Gopher Snake of west Texas. What do you think ???????
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I may be old , cantankerous, crabby, and cynical, but......

Black rats and Emoryi are not the same species, and probably do not breed with each other much in the wild. Several of the crosses you mentioned are just natural intergrades, splendida and speckled kings are the same species, as are bull and gopher snakes. The different milksnakes are also the same species. Corn and Red Rat Snakes are one and the same, just different common names. Wild rattlesnake hybrids have been found, but from all I have heard, they are very rare. Hybrid corn snake/Yellow Rat Snake Hybrids have supposedly been found in Florida, but most of those that I have seen have either looked like a yellow rat that retained its juvenile blotches, or a corn snake with faint dark striping, both of which are normal occurances in the pure form of either species. I've only seen one corn/yellow rat hybrid that looked like the real deal, and that one was captive produced.

>A interesting subject came up of Black Rats and Emoryi in Kansas >and maybe even of Missouri. While integration of milk snake are >oblivious in mostly Kansas and a small part believed in Missouri, >and of over 30 years of observing these species, I haven't known >or heard of integration of the 2 rat snakes in the wild where >distribution range clearly overlaps. I know or heard besides the >milk snake inter-breeding of Texas Rats, several species of >rattlesnakes, corn/red rat snakes, speckled king with splendida, >and even the Bull Snake and Gopher Snake of west Texas. What do >you think ???????

the black rat is elaphe as the great plains rat by genus ( before the reclassification name wise was done ). I SAID that several same genus of crotalus natural hybrids has been found by me and others. To me there is no difference of the family of above species of natural hybrids by integrated breeding. If you are talking of species and even sub-species, still as in the genus of pituophis, you have species of melanoleucas, sub-species of sayi > intergrade bred in wild of > genus pituophis, species melanoleucus, sub-species affinis. Both genus/species of crotalus natural hybrids and melanoleucas natural hybrids is documented in west Texas. Anybody else on this ?
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I may be old , cantankerous, crabby, and cynical, but......

I personally collected an obsoleta-guttata cross many years ago in South Florida. The snake looked more like a yellow rat, but had a faded spearpoint pattern on it's head. As it was over 5 feet long, everyone that saw this animal concluded that it was a naturally occuring cross. This specimen was collected in an area where yellows and reds were found in the same buildings. I have heard of similar examples of yellow-red crossings, but have only seen the one that I caught.

Is that bairdi a cross? It's head seems slighlty off to me....
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0.1 Snow Corn "Hope"
1.0 Ball Python "Wilson" (Castaway)
1. Orange Albino Black Ratsnake "Chunk" (Goonies)
.1 Orange Albino Black Ratsnake "Peaches"
0.0.1 Mexican Black Kingsnake "Onyx"
0.0.1 Black Ratsnake "Molly" (Flogging Molly)

As we say in Missouri, "I ain't goin back to Missouri!"

A cross?..........I think not, as I was able to personally see both parents. Another pic of the same snake.

>>A cross?..........I think not, as I was able to personally see both parents. Another pic of the same snake.
>>

simply beautiful!!!!!!!
love it
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Corn snakes and rat snakes..No one can have just one.
"resistance is futile"
Jimmy (draybar)

Draybars Snakes

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Good Question.
Just like “foxturtle” and “Steve G”, the only wild obsoleta-guttata cross I’ve ever seen has been the Yellow–Red cross in Florida!

Have you heard of any in your neck of the woods?

Have you heard of others? Texas?

It’s surprising to me that it doesn’t happen more often in nature, since it happens in captivity so much.

Here’s an accidental Bairds-Texas cross.
I really don’t care much for hybrids, but I’ve seen some credible accounts of these in nature, so I’ll keep this one.

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Regards, Bill McGighan

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Regards, Bill McGighan

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Regards, Bill McGighan

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Regards, Bill McGighan