Elaphe obsoleta
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| Elaphe obsoleta (Say In James, 1823) |
- Common names: black rat snake, pilot black snake, black snake.[1]
Elaphe obsoleta is a non-venomous colubrid species found in North America. It prefers heavily wooded areas and they are known for having excellent climbing ability, including the ability to climb the trunk of large mature trees without the aid of branches. No subspecies are currently recognized.[2]
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[edit] Description
Adults can become quite large and are known to reach up to eight (8) feet, being the largest snake found in Canada. The record length is 101 inches (2,600 mm), making it (officially) the longest snake in North America. Unofficially, indigo snakes (Drymarchon corais) are known to exceed them, and one wild caught pine snake (Pituophis melanoleucus) with a portion of its tail missing measured 111 inches (2,800 mm).[citation needed]
[edit] Behavior
When startled, they may freeze and wrinkle themselves into a series of kinks. If they feel further threatened, they may flee quickly or vibrate their tails in dead leaves (a form of mimicry, to make it sound like a rattlesnake). They are also capable or producing a foul smelling musk which they will release onto a predator if picked up. They spread the musk with their tail in hope of deterring the threat. [3]
[edit] Feeding
This species is a constrictor, meaning it suffocates its prey, coiling around small animals and tightening its grip until they can no longer draw breath, before eating them. Though they do consume mice and rats, the Black Rat Snakes will also hunt other snakes, chipmunks, squirrels, birds, and bird eggs.
[edit] Reproduction
The male snake wraps its tail around the female with their vents nearly touching. Males then erect their sex organ, the [hemipenis], and insert it into the female sex organ, the cloaca. The mating lasts about a few minutes or a few hours. The female lays about 12 to 20 eggs after five weeks and they hatch about 65 to 70 days later.[4]
[edit] Taxonomy
Utiger et al. (2002) argued that North American Rat Snakes of the genus Elaphe are a monophyletic group and thus separate from Old World members of the genus. They therefore resurrected the available name Pantherophis Fitzinger for all North American taxa (north of Mexico). In addition, they change the spelling for the specific name to obsoletus.[5]
Crother et al. (2003) rejected the taxonomic change to Pantherophis, preferring to retain the current concept of Elaphe and the spelling obsoleta.[6]
[edit] References
- ^ Wright AH, Wright AA. 1957. Handbook of Snakes. Comstock Publishing Associates. (7th printing, 1985). 1105 pp. ISBN 0-8014-0463-0.
- ^ Elaphe obsoleta (TSN 174177). Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved on 29 November 2006.
- ^ Fact Sheet at Smithsonian National Zoological Park Website
- ^ Black snake profile at National Zoo website
- ^ Elaphe obsoleta at The Center for North American Herpetology. Accessed 20 June 2008.
- ^ Crother BI, Boundy J, Campbell JA, De Quieroz K, Frost D, Green DM, Highton R, Iverson JB, McDiarmid RW, Meylan PA, Reeder TW, Seidel ME, Sites Jr JW, Tilley SG, Wake DB. 2003. Scientific and Standard English Names of Amphibians and Reptiles of North America North of Mexico: Update. Herp. Rev. 34: 196-203. PDF at Southeastern Louisiana University. Accessed 13 July 2008.
[edit] Further reading
- Utiger U, Helfenberger N, Schatti B, Schmidt C, Ruf M, Ziswiler V. 2002. Molecular systematics and phylogeny of Old and New World ratsnakes, Elaphe Auct., and related genera (Reptilia, Squamata, Colubridae). Russian Journal of Herpetology 9(2):105-124.
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Elaphe obsoleta |
- Pantherophis obsoletus at J. Craig Venter Institute. Accessed 25 October 2008
- Pantherophis obsoletus at the TIGR Reptile Database. Accessed 2 June 2008.
- Ratsnake - Elaphe obsoleta at HerpNet. Accessed 2 June 2008.
- E. obsoleta image at Picasa. Accessed 2 June 2008.
- Elaphe obsoleta populations in Southern Ontario Canada Accessed 17 October 2008.
- Black Rat Snake at Natural Resources Canada
- "Black Snakes": Identification and Ecology - University of Florida fact sheet
