Hobbies And Interests
Black Rat Snake Facts
Despite reaching lengths of as much as 8 feet, the black rat snake usually tends to avoid confrontations with humans. It is actually beneficial in an agricultural setting, as the main portion of the snake's diet consists of mice and rats that pilfer grain and can spread disease. The black rat snake is not venomous but, instead, constricts its prey with its powerful coils before consuming it.
Avoiding Detection
By remaining motionless when danger presents itself, the black rat snake hopes to avoid detection. Rather than confronting danger, it will usually remain motionless. Many black rat snakes perish on highways because an approaching vehicle causes them to stop in the road.
Musk and Biting
When stillness does not deter a predator or person from getting too close, the black rat snake has a unique means of escape. The snake has the ability to release a foul-smelling musk, which it expels in the vicinity of its attacker. If all else fails, the black rat snake will bite when provoked. This makes it similar in temperament to the Texas rat snake, another slightly aggressive species. The yellow rat snake tends to be more docile, while the Everglades version of this snake usually swims away to avoid a problem.
Mistaken Identity
All rat snakes tend to vibrate their tails rapidly when they feel threatened. This sometimes leads people into mistaking them for rattlesnakes. The sound of the tail twitching back and forth in dead leaves sounds much like the warning sound emitted by the poisonous rattlesnake, leading people to kill the rat snake out of fear.