What Color is a Chicken Snake? A Look at These Fascinating Reptiles
Chicken snakes, also known as rat snakes, are nonvenomous constrictor snakes found throughout North America But unlike what their name implies, chicken snakes don’t actually prefer to eat chickens or their eggs These docile snakes get the name “chicken snake” because they are often found around chicken coops where rodents like to hide.
So what color are chicken snakes? Chicken snakes can come in a wide range of colors and patterns depending on the subspecies. Some of the most common chicken snake colorations include:
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Tan brown or olive with dark brown or black blotches – The Eastern rat snake and Central rat snake have this pattern.
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Solid black – The black rat snake is true to its name with its ebony scales,
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Gray or light brown with brown or reddish blotches – The Texas rat snake sports this color combo.
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Yellow or cream with reddish-brown blotches – You’ll see this look on the Everglades rat snake.
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Orange, brown or olive with dark crossbands – The yellow rat snake shows off this vibrant pattern.
As juveniles, chicken snakes often have brighter, more distinct patterns that help camouflage them. But as adults, their colors tend to dull slightly while their markings become more muted. Regional variations in color can also occur within the same species based on their local habitat.
Why Are Chicken Snakes So Colorful?
A chicken snake’s diverse color patterns serve an important purpose – camouflage. Blending into their surroundings helps keep chicken snakes hidden from predators and also aids them in stealthily ambushing prey.
For example, the blotchy patterns on many subspecies allow them to easily disguise themselves among forest floors strewn with leaves and sticks. Solid black rat snakes can slip unseen through dark crevices. And the yellow rat snake’s vibrant stripes mimic beams of light filtering through vegetation.
Chicken snakes also use color to send warnings. When threatened, they may puff up their necks and vibrate their tails, exposing their bright patterns to appear more intimidating. This mimicry of deadly vipers helps chicken snakes avoid conflict in nature.
What Do Chicken Snakes Eat?
As their alternate name implies, chicken snakes are voracious predators of rats and other rodents. They use constriction to subdue prey like mice, voles, squirrels, and chipmunks. But rats and mice make up the bulk of their diet. That’s why chicken snakes often find their way into barns, granaries and chicken coops teeming with vermin.
Chicken snakes also feed opportunistically on birds and their eggs. Although they don’t specifically target chickens, they won’t pass up an easy meal of eggs or chicks if they come across a nest. Frogs, lizards, and smaller snakes also get consumed on occasion. Juveniles start out eating insects and other small prey.
These snakes are expert climbers, so bird nests in trees or chickens roosting at night are within their reach. Chicken snakes also raid rodent dens and use their sharp senses to track down hot-blooded prey. They kill by constriction and eat their victim whole head first.
Where Do Chicken Snakes Live?
Chicken snakes are highly adaptable and found in a variety of habitats, especially where rodent populations thrive. They include:
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Forests – Chicken snakes climb trees with ease and shelter under logs and rocks. The canopy provides abundant prey like birds, eggs and tree-dwelling rodents.
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Rural farmlands – Barns, granaries and chicken coops bring chicken snakes and rodents together. Sheds, fences and crops also offer cover.
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Residential areas – Manmade structures provide shelter and support rat populations. Chicken snakes may find their way into attics, basements and yards.
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Wetlands – Chicken snakes swim well and hunt amphibians and fish near marshes, streams and ponds.
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Prairie landscapes – Burrows, mammal dens and rock crevices provide refuge on open plains.
Chicken snakes seek out hiding spots to digest their prey, shed their skin and wait out cold weather in burrows below the frost line. They also hibernate communally through winter. Come spring, chicken snakes emerge ready to hunt and mate.
Are Chicken Snakes Dangerous?
While chicken snakes help control pest rodents, some people fear they may be dangerous to pets or children. But chicken snakes rarely bite humans unless severely provoked. And they aren’t venomous – the worst their bite may do is cause minimal tissue damage.
Still, basic precautions around chicken snakes include:
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Not attempting to handle or harass them
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Supervising small pets when chicken snakes are active
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Sealing any entry points into chicken coops
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Keeping yards free of debris piles and dense shrubs
In most cases, a live and let live approach allows peaceful coexistence with chicken snakes. Their presence around a home is a sign of a nearby rodent population – an issue worth addressing for the health and safety of any family. Otherwise, the best policy is to simply admire chicken snakes from a distance and respect their important role in the ecosystem.
The Takeaway on Chicken Snakes and Color
Chicken snakes display a striking diversity of colors and patterns that aid their survival in the wild. Blotchy shades of brown, gray, yellow, black and orange all help camouflage this species. No two chicken snakes look exactly alike thanks to their color variations. But one thing stays the same – chicken snakes are harmless pest controllers that play a valuable role in our backyards and beyond. So if you spot one, consider yourself lucky to glimpse nature’s perfect rodent exterminator!
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10 Interesting Facts About Black Rat Snakes
>> Black rat snakes, when cornered or threatened, will often coil in a defensive posture, hiss, and strike repeatedly. They also rapidly shake or vibrate the tail. This results in many people mistaking this dangerous-looking snake for a rattlesnake or even a copperhead due to its bold behavior and color pattern.
>> Old-timers sometimes refer to the black rat snake as the “pilot snake” in the mistaken belief that this snake pilots or guides the venomous rattlesnake to safe denning areas in the forest.
>> Another common name is the chicken snake because the black rat is sometimes found near chicken coops and henhouses, where they may sometimes feed on chicken eggs.
>> The black rat snake is one of several species of rat snakes occurring in the United States.
>> Rat snakes are large, powerful, non-venomous snakes that feed on a variety of prey species, which they overpower by constriction. They are the largest snake found in Georgia.
>> Black rat snakes emerge from their rocky crevice retreats in late April or early May. They hibernate with other rat snakes and/or with many other snake species, most notably timber rattlesnakes, racers, and bull snakes.
>> They are diurnal (active during the day) even during hot weather, though they do move at night on occasion.
>> When approached, black rats usually remain motionless. With their cryptic black coloration, they become invisible against the bark or dark forest floor.
>> The black rat snake is a proficient climber. Often it goes rather high up into trees, where it uses cavities or hollows formerly occupied by other animals such as birds or mammals.
>> Black rat snakes are extremely beneficial since they eat large amounts of rats, mice, and other pest animals. Farmers appreciate having snakes around for this reason.
The black rat snake can reach a length of eight feet, but is usually much smaller. The adult snake is black with a white or creamy yellow chin and throat. In contrast to the black racer, the belly of a rat snake is a mixture of light and dark, giving a somewhat mottled appearance. Light areas are often apparent between scales, and the scales on the back are weakly keeled. A juvenile rat snake is gray with light spots running down the middle of the back, and has white eyes. This pattern darkens with age and is generally undetectable once the snake reaches a length of three feet.
This subspecies has a very broad range throughout Eastern North America, from southeastern Minnesota to northern Louisiana and east to the eastern seaboard.
They may occupy many types of habitats ranging from deep woods to forest edges, overgrown fields and meadows. They often enter abandoned or little used buildings, barns and even attics and wall spaces in search of rodents, making these snakes valuable but often unwelcome guests as they feed on destructive pests.
Mating generally takes place in the spring, with 10-14 eggs laid in June or July. Eggs deposited beneath rocks or in manure piles, rotting vegetation, stumps or logs generally hatch in August and September. Garden mulch piles are often utilized, resulting in frantic human behavior when hatchlings or eggs are discovered!
The adults usually consume rodents. Mice, chipmunks, voles, shrews, even full grown squirrels have been reported in its diet. These snakes probably prey on birds and bird’s eggs most heavily of all snakes because of their climbing ability and time spent in trees. The young will feed on frogs, especially treefrogs, lizards and young mice.
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SNAKE!!! Check out this rat snake, often called a “chicken snake”. Learn why
FAQ
Is the chicken snake poisonous?
Chicken snakes, such as the yellow rat snake (Spilotes pullatus), are nonvenomous, larger snakes that can reach lengths of nearly 9 feet (2.7 meters).
What is the color of a chicken snake?
It can grow up to 6 feet in length and has a slender, cylindrical body covered in smooth brown or black scales.
What does a chicken snake or rat snake look like?
This common species, often referred to as the “chicken snake,” occurs across all of Tennessee. Description: A large snake (42.0 to 72.0 inches in length) with a variable color pattern. Dorsal color is usually black spackled with bits of white between scales and having a light throat.
What to do if a chicken snake bites you?
Snakebite first aid
If you or someone you know is bitten by a snake, call 911 right away and try to stay calm. If you can describe the snake, that can help first responders figure out the right treatment. Until help arrives, try to keep the bite below heart level and wash the area of the bite with warm, soapy water.