my dad was on his way to work and saw a monster black ratsnake on the side of the road, he estimated it at almost EIGHT feet, and ive heard from someone else of a sighting of another one that big, has anyone else seen any black ratsnakes even neer this size?
huge snake
- Thread starter snakehunter7
- Start date
I saw one that was at least 6-7ft. That is the biggest I've ever seen in both pa and nj, but I've only seen about 12-15 rats in my life and most are in the 3-5 foot range. Here is a pic of the big rat,
http://forums.njpinebarrens.com/showthread.php?t=2713
http://forums.njpinebarrens.com/showthread.php?t=2713
thanks for the info
dragoncjo: ive had real good luck finding black ratsnakes especially this year, i think all but one, if that were over 3 or 4 feet, maybe its just my luck
badfish740: that was interesting info, thanks, i didnt know they ate eggs
oh and i just wanted to let everyone know that my dad didnt see the snake on the way home so i guess that meant he was alive and slithered off somewhere
dragoncjo: ive had real good luck finding black ratsnakes especially this year, i think all but one, if that were over 3 or 4 feet, maybe its just my luck
badfish740: that was interesting info, thanks, i didnt know they ate eggs
oh and i just wanted to let everyone know that my dad didnt see the snake on the way home so i guess that meant he was alive and slithered off somewhere
When I was growing up in Monmouth county, there was a section of woods about 100 acres, more or less, behind my house. I spent a great deal of time back there. In the deepest spot there were these swamp maples. We would go back there and find these monster black rat snakes. They were always in the trees, often hugging the trunks and/or climbing the canopy. It was dark in there and I guess they were going up for sun or bird eggs or both. Anyway, they were monsters. I caught only a few of those 'cause they were always up so high. The ones I caught measure 6' to a little over 6'. I recall one being 6'4" but I could be wrong. Anyway, those wern't the biggest of the bunch so I don't know how large they got. I have never seen such a large concentration of black rat snakes, or any even close to the size of those things. They had girth also, as big around as the saplings they were climbing.
Sadly, that spot is now under pavement.
Jeff
Sadly, that spot is now under pavement.
Jeff
i've never caught one that big, but my friend has caught a 7footer. The biggest for me was approx. 6ft... i caught 5 this year, most,too- in the 3-5ft range
Yes, about 12 years ago at my house in Bamber. I was on the side of the house in the driveway on Sunday morning drinking coffee. I walked toward the front of the house and there he was in my rock garden stretched out underneath the front windows. He was shiny black, long and vigorous, with his head held proud and high. He seemed at least 6 to 7 feet long, though I had no way to measure him. As I walked toward him in disbelief, he moved so fast it startled me. He made it 40 feet to the other side of the house in a snap, and was gone.
I always thought it was a racer, but now I just don't know.
I always thought it was a racer, but now I just don't know.
snakehunter7 said:
Nope. I never saw one that size, but the late Karl Kauffeld, Reptile Curator of the Staten Island Zoo used to state flatly that they were the second largest North American snake at over 8 feet (second to the indigo of Florida and Texas).
I gotta report a field observation of a pilot black (they used to be called the "pilot black snake" before becoming just the ol' run-o'-the-mill "black rat snake")
This observation did occur, however, a bit outside the pine barrens. O.K. It was along the Yellow River near Decorah, IA. A canoe trip in the 70's took my son's scout troop past a high rock cliff that overhung the cutbank of the river and as we approached the bend under the cliff we noticed the air was thick with noisy, scolding cliff swallows. I had canoed past cliff swallows in the past and had never elicited such excitement. As we fell under the spell of the overhanging rock it was obvious that it was, over a large area of its face, covered with the flask- or gourd-shaped mud nests of the swallows. And in the middle of the innumerable nests there was a pilot black snake leaving the orifice of one nest and entering another. This was clearly what had put the swallows in such an agitated state. We paddled across to the slip-slope bank, beached the canoes, and watched for about a half hour. The snake entered and paused several minutes in two more nests before apparently deciding he'd had his fill of eggs and nestlings and rested in sated repose, his swollen body draped casually over four or five of the nests. We never did figure how he would leave the cliff face - nor how he gained access to a path that would support him on his way to the nests. The rat snakes are exceptionally good climbers- aided as they are by the ability to extend their ribs ventrally which produces a longitudinal ridge on either side of the now concave belly surface. The caudal edge of each of the transverse ventral scales thus have two slightly acute angles which increase their traction on precarious vertical surfaces (tree trunks, rock faces, weathered barn boards, etc., etc...) All the rat snakes are exceptionally talented climbers. My best guess as to his length was between 4 1/2 and 5 feet.
Dave