DESCRIPTION:
A small (up to 380 mm or 15" in total length), slender tan or cream colored snake with a dark gray-brown or black head cap. The head cap tapers to a point on its rear edge and extends back more than 3 small scales behind the parietal furrow (central seam between rear-most large head scales).
The adult Eastern Ratsnake is black, but usually shows remnants of its juvenile pattern. It is a black and white checkerboard on the front half, and then turns to a solid dark tone towards the tail.
This uncommon, medium-sized snake is grayish-brown with a series of large, alternating, chocolate-brown blotches. These blotches are often bordered in black. It has a spearhead marking on the head.
The gray rat snake (Elaphe obsoleta spiloides), currently known as the Central ratsnake (Pantherophis spiloides), is a member of the genus Elaphe in the subfamily Colubrinae.
