Great Plains Ratsnake

More Information

Great Plains ratsnakes grow up to five feet long, are either light gray or brownish-gray, and are covered in dark brown blotches bordered with black. A dark brown stripe starts at the bridge of their nose and travels down their neck, crossing overtop their eyelids like a mask. These snakes sport a spearhead-shaped marking on their head, and their belly is white with bold, squarish black markings.

Did You Know?

As a defense mechanism, Great Plains ratsnakes rapidly vibrate their tail in leaf litter to produce a sound very similar to the telltale sound created by rattlesnakes.

Their diet mostly consists of rodents; however, they will occasionally eat birds, lizards, amphibians, and even other snakes.

They are primarily nocturnal and oviparous, laying clutches of as many as 25 eggs in the late spring.