Kenneth L. Krysko (left), Rick Owen (right) photos.

Scientific name: Elaphe obsoleta quadrivittata

Description: Average adult size is 40-70 inches (101.6-177.8 cm), record is 90 inches (228.6 cm). Adults are yellow to olive-tan with 4 brown to black longitudinal stripes. The belly is pale yellow. The tongue is mostly black. The iris is yellowish. The scales are weakly keeled, and there are 27 dorsal scale rows at midbody. The pupil is round. Juveniles are tan or gray with dark blotches.

 

As the juvenile yellow rat snake grows, the edges of the dark blotches fuse together to form the 4 dark stripes seen in adults.

F. Wayne King photo.

Mike Nieses photo.

Adult yellow rat snake.

Yellow rat snake: Left to right: Top of the head (notice the large plate-like scales on the top of the head);
underside of the head (chin and throat).

Yellow rat snake: Left to right: Side of the head; front (face view) of the head.

Range: In Florida, it is found from the northeastern peninsula south to the southern tip of Florida. In the northwestern peninsula it intergrades (interbreeds) with the gray rat snake (Elaphe obsoleta spiloides). Here, adults may be gray with both black stripes and blotches. In the Everglades region of the southern peninsula it intergrades with the Everglades rat snake (Elaphe obsoleta rossalleni). Here, adults may be yellow-orange with faint blotches. Outside of Florida, this subspecies is found along the Atlantic coast from southeastern Georgia to North Carolina.

Habitat: Commonly found near pinelands, hardwood hammocks, swamps, marshes, prairies, agricultural fields, and residential areas.

Comments: . The yellow rat snake is primarily active at night. It is both a terrestrial burrower and an extremely good climber. It is found under rocks and boards, and in trees under bark and within knot holes and palm fronds.

As its common name implies, this snake feeds voraciously on rodents. Its diet also includes lizards, frogs, and birds and their eggs. Unfortunately, it will eat young chickens and chicks, which is the source of one of its common names, 'chicken snake'.

It lays eggs. Breeding occurs from April-July; 5-27 eggs are laid during the summer, and newborns hatch from July-September.

Comparison with other species and subspecies: The Everglades rat snake (Elaphe obsoleta rossalleni) adult has an orange body, tongue, and iris; the juvenile has a pinkish hue. The gray rat snake (Elaphe obsoleta spiloides) has a sandy-gray belly with dark square blotches, the underside of the tail has 2 black stripes, and the adult remains gray and blotched like the juvenile pattern. The corn snake (Elaphe guttata guttata) juvenile is brownish with a checkerboard patterned belly.

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Checklist of Florida Amphibians and Reptiles — Florida Herpetology