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| SCIENTIFIC
CLASSIFICATION |
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| COMMON
NAME: |
yellow rat snake, chicken snake |
| KINGDOM: |
Animalia |
| PHYLUM: |
Chordata |
| CLASS: |
Reptilia |
| ORDER: |
Squamata |
| FAMILY: |
Colubridae |
| GENUS
SPECIES: |
Elaphe (the deer) obsoleta quadrivittata |
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| DESCRIPTION: |
Dorsal and lateral surfaces have a yellow to olive
background with four dark longitudinal stripes;
ventral surface is pale yellow; may exhibit coloration
with stripes and blotches; head often speckled with
irregular spear point pattern and a dark band |
| MALE |
text |
| FEMALE |
text |
|
| SIZE: |
101.6-177.8
cm (40-70 in) average adult length; 228.6 cm (90
in) maximum reported length |
| MALE |
text |
| FEMALE |
text |
|
| WEIGHT: |
text |
| MALE |
text |
| FEMALE |
text |
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| DIET: |
Small
mammals, frogs, lizards, birds, and eggs |
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| INCUBATION: |
55-60 days |
| CLUTCH
SIZE |
5-27
eggs on average |
| BREEDING
PERIOD |
text |
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| SEXUAL
MATURITY: |
Determined
by size rather than age; most species begin to reproduce
when they reach approximately half their eventual
size |
| MALE |
text |
| FEMALE |
text |
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| LIFE
SPAN: |
20+ years |
| MALE |
text |
| FEMALE |
text |
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| RANGE: |
Coastal
regions of North Carolina south along the coast
through South Carolina and into central Georgia
and Florida |
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| HABITAT: |
Pine
flatlands, slash pine scrub, coastal hardwood hammocks,
oak hammocks, cypress dome swamps, and deciduous
hardwoods; yellow rat snakes are commonly found
around citrus groves, pastures, and abandoned buildings |
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| POPULATION: |
GLOBAL |
text |
| LOCAL |
text |
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| STATUS: |
IUCN |
text |
| CITES |
Not
listed |
| USFWS |
Not
listed |
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| 1. |
Like
many reptiles, the incubation temperature of their
eggs may determine the offsprings' sex; warmer temperatures
usually favor males while cool temperatures favor
females. |
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| 2. |
The yellow rat snake, or chicken snake, is known
to feed on domestic fowl (i.e. chickens) and their
eggs. This practice is how they came to receive
one of their common names, "chicken snake". |
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| 3. |
Like pythons and boas, rat snakes are constrictors,
which suffocate their prey. |
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| 4. |
Yellow
rat snakes spend much time underground prowling
through rodent burrows. |
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| 5. |
Truly
arboreal, yellow rat snakes will commonly climb
trees to reach and devour birds and their eggs.
The snake is known to climb to heights of 60 feet
search for prey in trees. |
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Many other important predators (i.e. birds-of-prey)
feed on young snakes. This means that snakes fulfill
roles as both predators and prey in regional food
chains. Yellow rat snakes are also valuable in their
role of curbing rodent populations, especially those
near human settlement and agricultural settings.
Because rodents often live in barns and garages,
this is where most humans encounter them. Unfortunately,
many snake species suffer from habitat destruction
and alteration. |
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|
| Areste,
Manuel and Cebrián, Rafael. Snakes of
the World. New York: Sterling Publishing Co.,
Inc., 2003. |
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Bauchot, Roland. Snakes: A Natural History.
New York: Sterling Pub. Co. 1994. |
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Coborn, John. The Atlas of Snakes of the World.
New Jersey: T.F.H. Publications, inc. 1991.
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| Mehrtens,
John M. Living Snakes of the World. New York:
Sterling Publishing Co., 1987. |
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| www.kingsnake.com |
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| http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/natsci/herpetology/fl-guide/Elapheoquadrivittata.htm |
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