Scales: Keeled

Anal Plate: Divided

Western Rat Snakes are one of the common large snakes found in the US, especially in urban/suburban areas. Large specimens can be over six feet in length. This species is found throughout the central states, from southwestern Wisconsin down to south Texas, west to central Texas and bordered on the east by the Mississippi River.

Rat Snakes are excellent climbers that can scale buildings and trees in search of food items or hiding spots. Once up a tree and curled up, they blend in very well. Prey items include birds, bats, rodents, lagomorphs (rabbits), eggs, lizards and amphibians. Even Cliff Swallows are not safe from this snake, rat snakes will often crawl into bridge infrastructure and gain access to Cliff Swallow nests underneath the bridge. In an urban setting, they are serious predators of squirrels and pigeons. Rat Snakes in general are fairly aggressive, and will face their enemies and defend themselves.

Western Rat Snakes and other rat snake species have this unique behavior where they "kink" themselves while not moving, they usually do this when an unsuspecting hiker walks up to them. Roger Constant (1997) described this behavior in two different species. Maybe this behavior helps to break up their outline and helps with camouflaging.

Western Rat Snakes were once listed as a subspecies of the Black Rat Snake. Herpetologists have determined that the mississippi river divides them to Eastern & Western species and there is now a Midland species as well (Burbrink, Lawson, Slowinski 2000). There has been several genus name changes in North American Ratsnake, they were known as Elaphe up until 2004, and since been called Pantherophis, Pituophis and now Scotophis.