rat snake

Ratsnakes
An Aesculapian Snake, Zamenis longissimus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Subphylum:	Vertebrata
Class:	Reptilia
Subclass:	Diapsida
Infraclass:	Lepidosauromorpha
Superorder:	Lepidosauria
Order:	Squamata
Infraorder:	Serpentes
Family:	Colubridae
Genus:	Various

Rat snakes are medium to large constrictors that can be found through a great portion of the northern hemisphere. They feed primarily on rodents and birds and, with some species exceeding 10 feet, they can occupy top levels of some food chains. Many species make attractive and docile pets and one, the corn snake, is one of the most popular reptile pets in the world. Other species can be very skittish and sometimes aggressive but bites are seldom serious and no species of ratsnake is dangerous to humans. They were long thought to be completely nonvenomous, but recent studies have shown that at least some Old World species do possess small amounts of venom (amounts so small as to be negligible to humans).

Previously most ratsnakes were assigned to the genus Elaphe but many have been since renamed following mitochondrial DNA analysis performed in 2002. For the purpose of this article names will be harmonized with the TIGR Database. When searching for information on a particular species of ratsnake it might be useful to query the old name, Elaphe sp., as well as the new.

Mandarin ratsnake (Euprepiophis mandarinus)

Red-tailed green ratsnake (Gonyosoma oxycephalum)

Rhinoceros ratsnake(Rhynchophis boulengeri)

Black Rat Snake Pantherophis obsoletus obsoletus. The blue eyes indicate that the snake is in a shed cycle.

Yellow rat snake Pantherophis obsoletus quadrivittata

Species

Old World

• Philippine ratsnake (Coelognathus erythrurus) DUMÉRIL, BIBRON & DUMÉRIL 1854
• Yellow-striped ratsnake (Coelognathus flavolineatus) SCHLEGEL 1837
• Trinket snake (Coelognathus helena) DAUDIN 1803
• Copperhead ratsnake (Coelognathus radiata) BOIE 1827
• Indonesian Ratsnake (Coelognathus subradiata) SCHLEGEL 1837
• Twin-spotted ratsnake (Elaphe bimaculata) SCHMIDT 1925
• King ratsnake (Elaphe carinata) GÜNTHER 1864
• Japanese ratsnake (Elaphe climacophora) BOIE 1826
• David's ratsnake (Elaphe davidi) SAUVAGE 1884
• Dione ratsnake (Elaphe dione) PALLAS 1773
• Japanese four-lined ratsnake (Elaphe quadrivirgata) BOIE 1826
• Four-lined snake (Elaphe quatuorlineata) LACEPEDE 1789
• Red-backed ratsnake (Elaphe rufodorsata) CANTOR 1842
• Eastern four-lined snake (Elaphe sauromates) PALLAS 1811
• Russian ratsnake (Elaphe schrenckii) STRAUCH 1873
• Japanese forest ratsnake (Euprepiophis conspicillatus)
• Mandarin ratsnake (Euprepiophis mandarinus)
• Celebes black-tailed ratsnake (Gonyosoma jansenii) BLEEKER 1858
• Red-tailed green ratsnake (Gonyosoma oxycephalum) BOIE 1827
• Mountain ratsnake (Oreocryptophis porphyracea) CANTOR 1839
• Cantor's Ratsnake (Orthriophis cantoris) BOULENGER 1894
• Hodgson's Ratsnake (Orthriophis hodgsoni) GÜNTHER 1860
• 100 Flower Ratsnake (Orthriophis moellendorffi) BOETTGER 1886
• Beauty Snake (Orthriophis taeniurus) COPE 1861
• Keeled ratsnake (Ptyas carinata) GÜNTHER 1858
• (Ptyas dhumnades) CANTOR 1842
• Sulawesi black racer (Ptyas dipsas) SCHLEGEL 1837
• White-bellied rat snake(Ptyas fusca) GÜNTHER 1858
• Chinese ratsnake (Ptyas korros) SCHLEGEL 1837
• (Ptyas luzonensis) GÜNTHER 1873
• Oriental ratsnake (Ptyas mucosa) LINNAEUS 1758
• Green ratsnake (Ptyas nigromarginatus) BLYTH 1854
• Green trinket snake (Rhadinophis frenatum) GRAY 1853
• Green bush snake (Rhadinophis prasina) BLYTH 1854
• Rhinoceros ratsnake(Rhynchophis boulengeri) MOCQUARD 1897
• Transcaucasian ratsnake (Zamenis hohenackeri) STRAUCH 1873
• Italian Aesculapian snake (Zamenis lineata) CAMERANO 1891
• Aesculapian snake (Zamenis longissimus) LAURENTI 1768
• Persian ratsnake (Zamenis persica) WERNER 1913
• Leopard snake (Zamenis situla) LINNAEUS 1758

New World

• Baja California ratsnake (Bogertophis rosaliae) MOCQUARD 1899
• Trans Pecos ratsnake (Bogertophis subocularis) BROWN 1901
• Eastern ratsnake (Pantherophis alleghaniensis) HOLBROOK 1836
• Baird's ratsnake (Pantherophis bairdi) YARROW 1880
• Great Plains ratsnake (Pantherophis emoryi) BAIRD & GIRARD 1853
• Eastern fox snake (Pantherophis gloydi) CONANT 1940
• Corn snake (Pantherophis guttatus) LINNAEUS 1766
• Western ratsnake (Pantherophis obsoletus) SAY 1823
• Slowinsky's corn snake (Pantherophis slowinskii) BURBRINK 2002
• Central ratsnake (Pantherophis spiloides) DUMÉRIL, BIBRON & DUMÉRIL 1854
• Western foxsnake (Pantherophis vulpinus) BAIRD & GIRARD 1853
• Mexican nightsnake (Pseudelaphe flavirufus) COPE 1867
• Green ratsnake (Senticolis triaspis) COPE 1866

See Also

• Black ratsnake
• Corn Snake

External links

• Information on a variety of Rat Snakes
• Pictures of Rat Snakes