Amphibians and reptiles of Ontario
Black Rat Snake (Elaphe obsoleta obsoleta)
Black Rat Snake
(Elaphe obsoleta obsoleta)
Description:
- 100 - 200 cm, Ontario's largest snake
- almost entirely black with faint blotching
- throat and lips are whitish
- brighter pattern on younger snakes, fades with ages
Habitat:
- open woodlands, fields, abandoned buildings
Conservation concerns, distribution and status:
- rare and local in southeastern Ontario, and even rarer in southwestern
Ontario where it has declined with loss of forest cover
Potential
climatic domain map
(218 observations in ONHIC database; 71 observations used
in analysis)