Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I found this in the Azalea bush in the front yard. We live in Maryland and using all of the "what is it" websites couldn't find a match for this guy. Anyone want to take a stab?

Thanks much.

Dave & Lea

Pics here

That is a juevenile black rat snake. I used to catch those as a kid when I lived in Maryland. I have a couple of them now actually (not the ones I caught as a kid). They are cool snakes. They are effective of getting rid of mice. Let it live and chomp down on those mice. Just don't let your neighbors know. People freak out about snakes for some reason.
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My Critters

3 Leopard Gecko 1.2.0
1 Tokay Gecko 1.0.0
2 Ball Pythons 2.0.0
1 Mex Black/cali king hybrid 1.0.0
3 Baird's Rat Snake (Thanks Vadoni!) 2.1.0
***1.0 Loma Alta***1.2Hawkeye 04 stock***
1.0 Ambystoma tigrinum nebulosum
2 Dekay's Snakes
2 Black Rat Snakes

Juvenile Black Rat here is a Google link with quite a few different pictures.
Link

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1.0 Albino Bumese
1.0 Columbian Boa
1.0 Mexican King
1.1 Alterna Gray Bands
2.1 Speckled Kings (1 albino pair)
1.0 Melanistic? California King
1.1 Bull Snakes
1.1 Red Milks
1.1 Black Pines
1.0 Red Northern Pine
0.1 Mexican Black King
1.1 Bearded Dragon (13 eggs)
0.0.1 Tokay Gecko

I like black rat snakes, and I also live in Maryland, but I hate to say that that as adults they rarely feed on rodents, they tend to hang out in the bushes, or around the bird feeders eating song birds. If you have any bird feeders up make sure that they are close enough to the bushes or low hanging branches so it's easier for the snakes to catch them.

Yes, they will eat birds when they can, especially in spring and summer when the babies are born.

But...every study on black rat snake diet has shown the bulk of the diet is rodents.

Dean is on the money. Elaphe (or whatever the splitters are calling it now) is probably the most beneficial genus of snakes in North America. The only other genus even close to being a more widespread & effective rodent killer would be Pituophis.

~~Greg~~

Well its not fair to say that's not true at all. Since as you stated they will eat birds when they can. In my experience, in my yard they are around the bird feeders eating birds, not to so say that they aren't eating rodents as well.

I didn't mean to imply that they weren't beneficial, just that when found found in your yard during the day, in the bushes, they are most likely hunting birds.

Black Rats certainly will not turn down an easily available meal. Your bird feeder is really a MacDonalds with take out. But just as Pine snakes have been known to raid hen nests it does not make up for the majority that feed on rodents.

The problem here is in the generalisation-not the common exceptions.

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

Thats not true black rats will eat whatever they can and what is in there habitat like in alabama manly on chickens because of the chicken houses. donwn in the city they will eat alot of mice and birds. and in the forest. chimpmunks,rabbits mice whatever.

Last I heard Mice, chipmunks, rats and rabbits are all rodents.

Since I acknowledged the bird eating, I stand by what I said.

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

Just for fun:

Actually rabbits have been split off with pikas into an order called lagomorphs...

SYLLABICATION: lag·o·morph
PRONUNCIATION: lg-môrf
NOUN: Any of various plant-eating mammals having fully furred feet and two pairs of upper incisors and belonging to the order Lagomorpha, which includes the rabbits, hares, and pikas.

Dagnabbit! that ^#&^#&^&^ wabbit!(lol)

Or is this splitting Hares?

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

No Bunny likes a punster!

You mean you were "Bugs"ed by my "Brer" commentary on Rabbits?

Nice snake food...(yum)

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

baby black rat snake. Everyone should get that right.