Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Mark,

Nice snake! That's what they typically look like here in central OK, but here they're intergrades between Black and Texas rats. They almost always have a fair amount of red or orange, and virtually all are patterned - even the largest adults. I caught two fairly typical specimens about 2 weeks ago, one at 49 inches and the other at 63. Both look nearly identical to yours, except the blotches aren't connected near the head like on yours. The black head tells me yours is mostly, if not entirely, E. o. obsoleta. But there may be some Gray Rat mixed in there as well. I'll see if I can get some pics of my two on here (one just shed, and the other was in the process of shedding this morning, so they should be very photogenic now! ) Meanwhile, here's my Tanner from last fall - technically an intergrade (WC central OK) but to me she leans decidedly toward the Texas (lindheimeri) end of the spectrum.

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MichaelB

That's pretty cool looking. I was just looking at Ben Siegel's price list today and noticed texas x black rats and wondered how they would look. How large is that one?

She's about 3.5 feet, maybe getting close to 4 now. All that tan/yellow is rather unusual for specimens around here. Most are darker and duller, more toward medium-dark brown or grayish-brown, with a lot of specks of red or orange. I shot a few pics today of the two larger WCs, using the old-fashioned film method. Should have them back in a few days. They look a lot like Mark's WC from Alabama.

Jeez, the female WC is one of the meanest, grumpiest rat snakes I've ever seen! The other one is more than a foot longer and a male (I think), and while he's a bit grumpy he has nowhere near the ornery disposition of the other one. And Tanner's a cream puff. Obsoletas are funny that way; some will tame down quickly, and others will just remain delinquents. Interesting!
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MichaelB

I really like the way it transitions from mostly tan to mostly black. I'm looking forward to the pics of the other one. In OK they assuredly are natural intergrades. Apparently this subtler look is common in the states western counties. We are a little far from those areas but we have guardsmen and reservist driving into base from all parts of the state. Maybe she hitched ar ide in a truck or maybe the look has spread a little farther than realizedd. Birmingham isn't very far west either adn Bart found the one snake up there.
I just finished reading an interesting paper that says Rat Snake DNA is mostly the same across all subspecies throughout the region so maybe the specific heritage is really moot. Either way, its a neat look and an intersting topic.
Thanks for the p[ics and don't forget to post the other one when he clears up.

Thanks, Mark. I think I'll break down and finally get one of those digital cameras. I shot some film pics, which should be back an a couple days.

They do manage to get around as stowaways. We had a case a few weeks ago up near Tulsa where a shopper in a home improvement center was bitten in the garden section by, of all things, an Eastern Diamonback rattler! Little 18-incher that must have hitched a ride in a shipment of trees and shrubs. EDBs come no closer to here range-wise than the central Gulf coast.
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MichaelB