King snake black rat snake georgia. The appearance of rat snakes varies greatly throughout the geographic range. I lived in oakwood georgia for 5 years and i caught a black rat snake and a gartersnakein a field beside my house that also had woods and the wood line was 50yards from the house. Georgia snakes also includes three subspecies of the basic eastern rat snake elaphe obsoleta.
While rat snakes king snakes and hognose snakes generally freeze when approached racers usually flee rapidly or sometimes stand their ground and attempt to strike. Adult rat snakes are typically 3 5 ft 91 152 cm but large individuals may be more than 6 ft 183 cm long. Black ratsnakes live in the mountains and piedmont areas.
Below are georgias non venomous snakes. Cincinnati zoo has it on record that yellow rat snakes are common along the coasts of south and north carolina florida and georgia. Only 6 of these snakes are venomous.
Young racers do not resemble adults and are generally tan or grayish with a series of brown or reddish blotches running down the center of the back. Another species of king snake you might just spot in georgia is the milk snake similarly patterned measuring between 25 and 60 inches in length another nocturnal snake. Nonvenomous scarlet kingsnakes evolved to look like venomous species in order to.
With black white and red banding this snake may look threatening but its not more likely to hide away than stay and fight. The longest king snake in georgia is the eastern king snake which reaches 4 feet long. It is illegal to kill capture or harrass any of the snakes pictured below.
Classically these snakes have yellow irises and four barrow brown stripes that go down their backs. Georgia is home to over 41 different snakes. I turned the snakes loose right where i found them i will not kill a snake any type they take care of the rat population and insects snakes do a lot of good rats.
Beach goers might cross paths with the yellow ratsnake. Gray ratsnakes live in the south and areas along the savannah river. Humans mistake milk snakes and scarlet king snakes for eastern corals because of their similar skin patterns.
However milk snakes and scarlet king snakes have red black yellow or white patterns. Like venomous coral snakes scarlet kingsnakes are red with yellow and black bands that encircle their bodies. They inhabit areas along coastal georgia.
You can also add to this list rat snakes.