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Great Plains Rat Snake

Great plains rat snake is a type of non-venomous snake native to the central region of the United States. The species is mainly nocturnal and is known to be quite secretive. The snake exhibits both terrestrial and arboreal nature.

Scientific Classification
Quick Information

Kingdom	Animalia
Phylum	Chordata
Subphylum	Vertebrata
Class	Reptilia
Order	Squamata
Suborder	Serpentes
Family	Colubridae
Subfamily	Colubrinae
Tribe	Lampropeltini
Genus	Pantherophis
Scientific Name	Pantherophis emoryi

Other Names	Brown Rat Snake, Chicken Snake, Emory’s Coluber, Emory’s Pilot Snake, Emory’s Racer, Emory’s Snake, Gray Rat Snake, Eastern Spotted Snake, Prairie Rat Snake, Mouse Snake, Spotted Mouse snake, Western Pilot Snake, Texas Rat Snake
Length	3 to 5 ft
Color	Light gray or tan with brown, dark gray or green-gray irregular patches down the back; stripes on both sides of the head which joins to form a point between the eyes
Distribution	Missouri, Nebraska, Colorado, Texas (United States), northern Mexico
Habitat	Grassland, lightly forested habitats, coastal plains, semi-arid regions, rocky, moderately mountainous regions, farmland
Diet	Rodents, birds, other snakes, lizards, frogs
Hibernation Fact	Hibernate during winter below the ground or under rocks, slabs, crevices or anywhere below the frost or freeze line in the ground
Predators	Medium-sized mammals, raptors
Venom Fact	Non-venomous
Breeding Season	March-April
Mode of Reproduction	Oviparous(egg laying)
Clutch Size	3 to 37 eggs
Reproductive Age	Male: 2 years of age Female: 3 years of age
Average Lifespan	More than 20 years
IUCN Conservation Status	Least Concern