Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Ok, so i dont know that much about the different kinds of rat snakes. In fact, i know next to nothing. Just by browsing through this forum though I have fallen in love with the Bairdi Rats. Here is my question, i see it sometimes spelled Bairdi, and sometimes just as Bairds Rat snakes? Are these the same snake or two different species?
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1.0 green iguana-Deitrich
1.1 Common Boa-Un-Named, Ursula
1.0 Ball Python-Anabell (go figure!)
1.0 Red Tegu-Uteg
1.0 Albino Cal King-Pig
0.1 Mexican Black King-Morticia
1.1 Bearded Dragons-Unnamed, Hanabil
1.0 Albino San Diego Gopher-Unnamed
0.1 Hermans tort-Esio
1.1 JCP-Milton, Medusa
1.1 Reverse Okeetee Corn-Unnamed
0.1 Snow Corn-Unnamed
1.0 Hypo Okeetee Corn-Unnamed
0.1 Motley Okeetee-Unnamed
1.0 Western Hoggie-Wyrm
0.0.1 Rose Hair Taruntla-Unnamed
2.0 Leopard Geckos-Reptar, Pogo
4.1 cats-Tucker,Poe,Abhib,Emerald, Felicity
0.1 Bullmastiff-Asha

>>Ok, so i dont know that much about the different kinds of rat snakes. In fact, i know next to nothing. Just by browsing through this forum though I have fallen in love with the Bairdi Rats. Here is my question, i see it sometimes spelled Bairdi, and sometimes just as Bairds Rat snakes? Are these the same snake or two different species?
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The same
Bairds Rat Snake
formerly Elaphe obsoleta bairdi
now Pantherophis bairdi
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Corn snakes and rat snakes..No one can have just one.
"resistance is futile"
Jimmy (draybar)

Bairdi, Baird, same snake.

There are differences though. What you have seen the most of (on this forum at least) are the Texas Bairdi. There are also Mexican Bairdi. The texans have a silver scale with the colors popping through. Mexicans are more tan sand colored with the colors. They look nearly identical as babies, but as adults they are very different.

Here's a post Terry Parks put up a week or so ago on Mexican Bairdis.
forums.kingsnake.com/view.php?id=605056,605056
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The reason mainstream thought is thought of as a stream is because it's so shallow. -George Carlin

A fool doesn't learn. A smart man learns from his mistakes. A wise man learns from the mistakes of others. Which one are you?

My Website
Rat/Corn snake care sheet I wrote

Current snakes:
0.1 Licorice Stick Black Rat (Lola)
1.0 Neonate Black Rat (het for Lic Stk's) (Frankie)
1.1 Texas Bairds (Jose and Rosa)
0.1 Blue Beauty (Brunhilde)

The words "bairdi" and "bairds" are referring to the same species when used. "Bairdi" is the species scientific name and "bairds" is one of the common names. The scientific name is P. bairdi and one of the common names is Baird's rat snake. It is named for Spencer Fullerton Baird, zoologist and administrator of the Smithsonian Institution during the 19th century. A lot of the scientific names are latin. When the species is named after or for a person, I guess adding the "i" at the end would make it consistent with other latin scientific names. Some of the common names for P. Bairdi are Baird's rat snake, Baird's Coluber, and Great Bend rat snake.

Terry Parks

> I really think metallic rat snake fits and hope it catches on.
By the way.. I am working on a trade to get another pair of Bairdis. I will let you know some time next week how it is going!!
Jimmy

>The words "bairdi" and "bairds" are referring to the same species when used. "Bairdi" is the species scientific name and "bairds" is one of the common names. The scientific name is P. bairdi and one of the common names is Baird's rat snake. It is named for Spencer Fullerton Baird, zoologist and administrator of the Smithsonian Institution during the 19th century. A lot of the scientific names are latin. When the species is named after or for a person, I guess adding the "i" at the end would make it consistent with other latin scientific names. Some of the common names for P. Bairdi are Baird's rat snake, Baird's Coluber, and Great Bend rat snake.
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>>Terry Parks
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I didn't forget Jimmy. It's a new name coined by Tim himself I believe, but I haven't gotten used to it yet. I've been calling them Baird's rat snakes for years so I will need sometime before I change over. Most people inquire on my bairds rat snakes, although I would know what they were referring to if they asked about a metallic rat snake. Actually, I usually refer to them as Texans and Mexicans after we know we are discussing
P. bairdi. I think I was able to slip an example each of the names in on this post.

Terry Parks

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I think you got all of the names in this post...lol
It would definitely take some time to get used to the name metallic.
You are right, though, if someone uses the name we will know what they are talking about.
Any of you bairdi owners have an opinion on the name.
Should we try to use metallic more often or just leave things as they are and let Tim stick with the name for his snakes.

I didn't forget Jimmy. It's a new name coined by Tim himself I believe, but I haven't gotten used to it yet. I've been calling them Baird's rat snakes for years so I will need sometime before I change over. Most people inquire on my bairds rat snakes, although I would know what they were referring to if they asked about a metallic rat snake. Actually, I usually refer to them as Texans and Mexicans after we know we are discussing
>>P. bairdi. I think I was able to slip an example each of the names in on this post.
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>>Terry Parks
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Corn snakes and rat snakes..No one can have just one.
"resistance is futile"
Jimmy (draybar)

The most common name over the years has been Baird's rat snake which is really the scientific subspecies name without the "i" at the end to make it consistent with being the way the other latin names are. This has been some of the confusion and questions regarding whether they are called Bairdi or Bairds. They are called both its just that their scientific name is so close to their common name. Common names are usually more descriptions of either a physical trait or behavior trait of the snake. Tim is most certainly giving P.bairdi a common name which is consistent with the common names of other species. "Metallic rat snake" fits what a good common name would have. If anyone uses it, we know what snake they are referring to. I just mentioned it takes time for me to begin using it myself since I've used a different common name over the years. If you would like to talk about the metallic rat snake, I will talk about the metallic rat snake with you. Of course, maybe the common name could be the "Irresistible rat snake" as you elude to Jimmy.

Terry Parks

>>The most common name over the years has been Baird's rat snake which is really the scientific subspecies name without the "i" at the end to make it consistent with being the way the other latin names are. This has been some of the confusion and questions regarding whether they are called Bairdi or Bairds. They are called both its just that their scientific name is so close to their common name. Common names are usually more descriptions of either a physical trait or behavior trait of the snake. Tim is most certainly giving P.bairdi a common name which is consistent with the common names of other species. "Metallic rat snake" fits what a good common name would have. If anyone uses it, we know what snake they are referring to. I just mentioned it takes time for me to begin using it myself since I've used a different common name over the years. If you would like to talk about the metallic rat snake, I will talk about the metallic rat snake with you. Of course, maybe the common name could be the "Irresistible rat snake" as you elude to Jimmy.
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>>Terry Parks
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Irresistible huh? Yeah, that would be a good name.
Maybe we should just stick to Baird or Bairdi
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Corn snakes and rat snakes..No one can have just one.
"resistance is futile"
Jimmy (draybar)

>>Maybe we should just stick to Baird or Bairdi

Jimmy - You know that nothing is permanent or sticks with reptiles. The taxonomy, scientific names, etc. are continually changing. I still don't like saying "Pantherophis". It doesn't sound right to me yet, but I agreed our rat snakes needed a different name than the rat snakes in Europe and Asia. Bairdi just never had that descriptive common name we are familiar with in other species. We have gray rat snakes, yellow rat snakes, everglade rat snakes, black rat snakes, etc that are descrptive names of the snake and aren't similar to their scientific name.

Terry

Metallic is cool.....and new....I for one am for it.....

(esp. after all I have a pair of Tim's "Metallics"

either way....we will probably know what someone is talkin about no matter what name they use.....

I opt for "resistance is futile rats"

lol

keith
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I'm not sure I want popular opinion on my side -- I've noticed those with the most opinions often have the fewest facts.

I just got my 2.5 year old son to say Bairdi nake, now you want to change the name to "Metallic" . Oh well I guess his big bro will have to help him with that one also.