Florida Yellow Rat Snake

Other common names include.

Florida yellow rat snake. Rat snakes can grow to be six feet long 1 8 m. While the yellow rat snake loves the state of florida it can also be found in north and south carolina along the coast as well as georgia. Some of the most attractive rat snakes occur on the south side of lake okeechobee in the everglades region. The snake s irises are yellow in color and they have four brown stripes going down their backs too.

Yellow rat snake elaphe obsoleta quadrivittata or pantherophis alleghaniensis quadrivittata picture of yellow rat snake. This causes the prey to suffocate and die. Rat snakes are one of the largest kinds of species of snakes with over 50 types of sub species. A young adult with stunning coloration.

This snake will live anywhere including. As the prey exhales the snake tightens its grip further leaving no scope for the prey to inhale. This snake is a hybrid that s also part black rat snake. They are a morph of black rat snake eastern rat snake with orange or yellow coloring all over.

Rat snakes are large constrictors that are mainly found in the northern hemisphere. It is a member of colubridae a family of mostly constrictor snakes. Weekly keeled scales range. They are long slim snakes with a head only slightly wider than their body.

Underside of the head chin and throat c. In florida the rat snake occurs in the panhandle east of the apalachicola river and throughout the peninsula south to key largo however it does readily hybridize with the gray rat snake pantherophis spiloides in the panhandle. Yellow rat snake pantherophis alleghaniensis ssp. Front face view of the head d.

Quadrivittata in florida adult snakes commonly measure 90 to 180 cm 36 to 72 in in total length including tail with a few exceeding 200 cm 79 in. Classically these snakes have yellow irises. The most familiar rat snakes in the florida peninsula are the yellow rat snakes. The yellow rat snake above the most common color morph in peninsula florida is typically yellowish with four brownish black stripes along the body.

The life span of a yellow rat snake can reach 20 years. The yellow rat snake is a constrictor. Coastal north and south carolina southward throughout peninsular florida. One of the more common kinds of sub species is the yellow rate snake.

It suffocates its prey to death like pythons and other boa species. Yellow rat snakes from the southern tip of their range tend to be more golden butter yellow overall and have lots of yellow highlights on the belly and under the chin compared to the tannish straw yellow colored yellow rat snakes from central and northern florida. Thereafter the snake swallows the kill whole headfirst. Eastern rat snake rat snake chicken snake everglades rat snake black rat snake pilot snake and pilot rat snake.

Side of the head e. Our south florida yellow rat snakes descend from the sugar cane fields in the neighboring counties of glades hendry and palm.