Texas Rat Snake (2 May 2007) Tomball, Texas

(Elaphe obsoleta lindheimeri) Non-poisonous; very aggressive; may bite if cornered, not allowed to escape, and handled; the productive bite of a mature adult may produce painful wounds that bleed freely from the numerous puncture marks caused by its small, sharp teeth; the bite is otherwise inconsequential; this species of snake preys on mice and rats and is very beneficial.

Photos courtesy of Mr. & Ms. Paul M.; text by Jerry Cates

The muscular body of the Texas rat snake is evident in this photo.  The lower body is being held down while the snake is wriggling to get free, and the muscles are straining.  Note the clearly round pupil and that the head is rounded, from side to side, and uniformly dark gray on the nose and lateral face. Note also the paler color of the upper lips, which are unmarked.  The juvenile Texas rat snake has markings on the dorsal head, but mature specimens, like this one, are unmarked.

The mid body markings consist of saddles over the spine, separated by lighter spaces with an orange tint (sometimes bluish gray), and often, as with this specimen, with white markings between some of the scales.  On the sides, alternating between the upper saddles, are dark blotches ringed in the lighter coloration, usually tinged in orange but sometimes in bluish gray.  The scales nearest the spine are keeled, but those on the sides are either weakly keeled or smooth.  I count 13 to 14 scale rows from spine to lower side (the Texas rat snake has 27 rows from side to side at mid body).

Many thanks to Paul M. and his wife for these excellent photos.

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