Reptile & Amphibian Forums

can anybody identify this snake for me. i bought it as a corn snake but im not sure if it is. if my snake is a corn what morph would it be?

another piccy

>>another piccy
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I would say that your snake is some form of albino obsoleta.
Not sure which but possibly an albino black rat.
I notice in the second picture that you also have a corn snake.
Look at the stripe or "V" running from the nose back to the neck.
If you notice on the corn snake the "V" starts on the nose, in front of the eyes, and runs between the eyes back towards the neck.
On the snake in question, the lines or "V" actually go through the eyes. This is typical of obsoleta.
At least this is how I see it.
Jimmy

Looks to be an albino obsoleta.

Also ratsnake and corn snake are interchangeable terms(for Pantherophis gutata)...so you get can both in one shot!

Frank
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"The luxury of not getting involved departed with the last lifeboat Skipper..."

All squares are rectangles, but not all rectangles are squares.

All cornsnakes are ratsnakes, but not all ratsnakes are corns. So they're not entirely interchangeable.

I not sure about you guys, but I find it upsetting someone would sell an albino black rat as a corn snake.
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~Katt

Sometimes mistakes are because of a lack of knowledge, and sometimes it is the seller just being dishonest. That is why there is that old Latin saying, “Caveat Emptor." Let the Buyer Beware.

It is a shame that you have to make yourself an expert to get the snake that you want.

I hope that the snake grows up to be a nice looking adult.

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>>I not sure about you guys, but I find it upsetting someone would sell an albino black rat as a corn snake.
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>>~Katt

It definitely isn't right.
Either way it worries me.
If they just didn't know any better that's bad enough that they are selling animals they know nothing about or if they knew what they were doing then they are basically thieves, representing something falsly to make a buck.
Now having said that...It is still a beautiful snake and will make an excellent pet so don't let us bring you down.
We are just concerned about the misrepresentation.
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Corn snakes and rat snakes..No one can have just one.
"resistance is futile"
Jimmy (draybar)

Katt,

You are right that all corn snakes are rat snakes, but not all P. guttata are corn snakes. There are a few subspecies of P. guttata just like there are a few subspecies of P. obsoleta. P. guttata guttata is called a corn or red rat snake. P. guttata emoryi is called an Emory’s or Great Plains rat snake. It is splitting hairs, but it is more correct.

One thing you learn from travelling around. Local (common) names change with the scenery.

The joke above was reffering to the P.g gutata that was mentioned-not the obsoleta. As too common names;

A while back I listed several different common names for Lamp.g. Getula.

I have been told (by local "experts" that P.g.gutata is A red rattler, a chicken snake, a corn snake, a "painted" ratsnake and (my favorite)a coral snake (because...I was told.... they are coral colored).

That is why latin names are more reliable.

Frank
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"The luxury of not getting involved departed with the last lifeboat Skipper..."

Almost ALL ratsnakes are called chicken snakes by locals regardless of color. Yellow rats are chicken snakes,black rats are black snakes(as are racers) or chicken snakes,texas rat snakes are also called chicken snakes. I know in Georgia Yellow Rat snakes are 'chicken snakes'. Locals just have different names for different snakes,I think it's funny that you said some are called coral snakes...well not to funny cause if they goto a doctor and say they were bitten by a coral snake that doc would assume they meant the deadly 'coral snake' and take action.

thankyou for all the replies! im still not clear about what my snake is ( dont realy understand all the different latin names ) would i be able to tell by the size when its adult (aren't black rats bigger than corns?)
Could it be a cross corn and black rat?

thanks for any information
claire

>>thankyou for all the replies! im still not clear about what my snake is ( dont realy understand all the different latin names ) would i be able to tell by the size when its adult (aren't black rats bigger than corns?)
>>Could it be a cross corn and black rat?
>>
>>thanks for any information
>>claire

We are not 100% sure ( hard to tell from photos sometimes)but I would really be surprised it WASN'T an Albino Black Rat Snake.
Black rats do get bigger then corns. It could easily get six or seven feet.
It is a keeper.
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Corn snakes and rat snakes..No one can have just one.
"resistance is futile"
Jimmy (draybar)

Well,either way what you have there is a 'Ratsnake',regardless if its a 'cornsnake' or a albino black rat snake. The care is EXACTLY the same. Black Rat snakes will get a little bigger then Red Rat Snake(cornsnake). Black rat snakes average 4 1/2 - 5 feet but have the potential to get 6-7 feet in length and MAYBE bigger.Corns usually average 3 1/2 feet - 4 feet and will max out around 5 - 5 1/2 feet. Either way what you have there is a very pretty snake. Just make sure you take good care of him/her and be happy with it.

Try this link for help with those strange sounding scientific names. Then when you see them, they will make a little more sense.

There is method to the madness.

Best of luck with your rat snake. He looks from the picture to be a keeper. Black, Gray, Texas or Corn, they are all wonderful snakes.
A Rose By Any Other Name, Revisited

Looks like a hybrid to me. Someone crossed a cornsnake to a black rat snake in my opinion.

Terry Parks