Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have been hunting this monster for over a week now ever since finding a freshly shed skin across the floor of my garage. =P

Found him/her sitting all pretty in the honeysuckle vines on the barbed wire fence. Too bad I knew it wouldn't stay there once I saw it, or else I'd have taken a beautiful picture. But instead, I decided to wrestle with it, and get musked in the process..man does it stink. Anyone know of any substance in the house that gets the musky smell off? I've tried 4 different hand-soaps with barely any luck. =P

Anyway, we Southern Indiana folks call these "chicken snakes" as they're commonly found in hen-houses stuffing themselves with eggs or chicks. They're very calm and don't generally mind being handled (unless you're yanking on them while they're attached to a fence). We had one in my parent's barn that was more of a pet than anything. If he got in the way, you just picked him up and moved him somewhere else, with no struggle at all.

So now to the pictures, and hopefully the identification of this monster. I'd say it's close to 5.5 ft stretched out and almost as big around as my wrist (me being female of course).

In my non-expert opinion, I'm thinking king-snake of some sort. Due to the size and the black-white/yellow colouration. Lemme know what you all think. =D

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~*Taceas*~
rain@mainecoon.net

"And shepherds we shall be, for thee my lord for thee. Power hath decended forth from thy hand so our feet may swiftly carry out thy command. And we shall flow a river forth to thee and teeming with souls shall it ever be. In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti." - The Boondock Saints

I think this is a black rat snake, but I'm not 100%.

Interesting, I've never seen a black rat snake personally. I always thought those were a more east of the Appalachians species, myself. I've seen albino black rats in a pet store as hatchlings, but never as an adult.

Here's is a picture showing it's length. Since I didn't have a dollar on hand (paid bills today), I used my Zippo lighter for a comparison.

It's a beautiful animal. Just so black and captivating. Funny how snakes can demand such reverence. And yet, so many people blindly hate them. It's calm as can be, and curious about it's surroundings. I hope it makes a good pet. If not, I know where it came from and can release it back into the wild.

For reference, this is a 29 gallon (long) aquarium. Enjoy!

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~*Taceas*~
rain@mainecoon.net

"And shepherds we shall be, for thee my lord for thee. Power hath decended forth from thy hand so our feet may swiftly carry out thy command. And we shall flow a river forth to thee and teeming with souls shall it ever be. In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti." - The Boondock Saints

pretty one too...i'd keep him away from any of your captive bred animals, just to minimalize the risk of them getting any parasites and such...Chris

There is no doubt about it. That is a black rat snake. A very nice one also.
Looks very similar to the ones here in Southeast Tennessee.
More color and pattern definition.
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Jimmy (draybar)

In this pic the head looks more like a black rat to me than the overhead shot did. I guess the flash is making him look kind of chocolatey. Is he really dark black?

Yeah, he is dark black. In sunlight though he does look brownish. I guess the same way black cows or dogs have that auburn appearance in the sun.

I looked up black rats, and I'm fairly certain that he's one. =)
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~*Taceas*~
rain@mainecoon.net

"And shepherds we shall be, for thee my lord for thee. Power hath decended forth from thy hand so our feet may swiftly carry out thy command. And we shall flow a river forth to thee and teeming with souls shall it ever be. In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti." - The Boondock Saints

Looks like an elaphe, not a king. Kings have smallish heads with no discernable neck. Yours has a distinct neck and the long narrow spear shape head of a rat snake.

I agree with everyone else, looks like a black rat. They grow to big 6 ft monsters.

-13mur 6

I'm from S. Indiana too. I remember seeing those all the time as a kid. One summer I remember finding six basking on top of our woodpile. Scared the bejebus outta my mother!.

I first thought black rat too, but the head seems a little too long and slender compared to the black rats I have known. Anyone else thinking the same thing?

Well, I fed the guy a F/T young adult rat I had floating around in my freezer, and he ate it with gusto. And then went to trying to eat the paper plate I had the rat on.

But then as I watched it circle the aquarium, I felt a wave of sadness. A sadness that you see in a once wild animal caged up, with no way out. The same pacing you see of some of the animals at the zoo.

I couldn't stand the guilt over having removed something so graceful and free from the wild, even if it was my own backyard. There are many more rodents in the wild than even my freezer can provide for. I'm sure I'll see it again, as this is the same snake that has eluded me since last year and this.

So tonight, after its meal...I returned it to the wild. To a cherry tree not far from the fence where I found it perched.

Perhaps I'll see it once again...and then I'll smile, knowing that I've done the right thing.
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~*Taceas*~
rain@mainecoon.net

"And shepherds we shall be, for thee my lord for thee. Power hath decended forth from thy hand so our feet may swiftly carry out thy command. And we shall flow a river forth to thee and teeming with souls shall it ever be. In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti." - The Boondock Saints

Very cool ending to your story!

I'm sure you would've loved to have kept it, but I think it's great that you released it.

Now that you got your hands on one, doesn't it make you want to go out and buy a captive bred black rat. I think they are so cool! If only I had more room for another snake.

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alstiver@hotmail.com

1.0 '01 hypo snow
0.1 '02 ghost (pastel)
1.1 '02 bloodred

n/t