Gray Ratsnake
Pantherophis spiloides · Rat Snakes
No venom; it may vibrate its tail in leaves as a bluff, and musk if handled.
How to identify
- Head
- Narrow head barely wider than the neck; white to cream chin.
- Pattern
- Dark gray or brown blotches on a gray to brownish back; some northern adults turn nearly black.
- Eyes
- Round pupil, fairly large dark eye; no heat-sensing pit.
- Pits
- None. There is no pit between the eye and the nostril.
- Tail
- Tapers evenly; no rattle.
- What it does
- An excellent climber; bluffs with a tail buzz in leaf litter.
Often confused with
North American Racer is the usual mix-up for dark adults, but it has smooth, glossy scales and a rounder body. Eastern Ratsnake looks nearly identical where the two meet. Timber Rattlesnake gets blamed when a ratsnake vibrates its tail, but it has a rattle and a vertical pupil.
How to tell them apart
Gray Ratsnake vs Timber Rattlesnake›
The quick way to tellLook at the tail. The Timber Rattlesnake has a rattle and vertical pupils. The Gray Ratsnake's tail tapers to a point, and its pupils are round.
Gray Ratsnake: Tapers evenly; no rattle.
Timber Rattlesnake: Solid black ahead of the rattle.
Gray Ratsnake vs Eastern Ratsnake›
The quick way to tellMostly go by where it was found. Eastern Ratsnakes live east of the Appalachians and the Apalachicola River; Gray Ratsnakes live west of that line to the Mississippi. The young look almost identical, and the two interbreed where they meet.
Gray Ratsnake: Appalachians west to the Mississippi: Florida panhandle, Alabama and Mississippi north through Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Michigan to Wisconsin and Ontario.
Eastern Ratsnake: Atlantic states east of the Appalachians: western Vermont and southern New England south through New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and the Carolinas to Georgia and all of Florida east of the Apalachicola River, including the Keys.
Gray Ratsnake vs North American Racer›
The quick way to tellLook at the back. An adult racer is plain and satiny, with no blotches, and is slim all over. A Gray Ratsnake usually shows darker blotches, even faint ones, and its body is shaped like a loaf of bread, flat underneath.
Gray Ratsnake: Dark gray or brown blotches on a gray to brownish back; some northern adults turn nearly black.
North American Racer: Plain black, blue-gray, olive or tan; belly pale to gray; young strongly blotched.
About the Gray Ratsnake›
The ratsnake of the Appalachians and interior lowlands, from Alabama up the Mississippi and Ohio valleys to the Great Lakes. Keeps its blotched pattern for life, unlike its coastal relatives.
Naming here is genuinely unsettled: field guides call this Pantherophis spiloides, while iNaturalist folds it into Pantherophis alleghaniensis and calls it the Central Ratsnake.
The details
Size Usually 3.5–6 ftWeight Commonly 1–5 lbLifespan 15–25 years
Typical range›
Appalachians west to the Mississippi: Florida panhandle, Alabama and Mississippi north through Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Michigan to Wisconsin and Ontario.
Activity›
Day active in spring and fall, night active in summer; an excellent climber.
Diet›
Rodents, birds and eggs, killed by constriction.
Reproduction›
Lays eggs, usually 5–20, in early summer.
Found in parts of 13 states›
Ranges are approximate. It may be found in only part of a state, or be rare there, and snakes can turn up outside of them.
More photos
