Texas Rat Snake (2006) Lake LBJ, Texas

(Elaphe obsoleta lindheimeri) Non-poisonous; very aggressive; may bite if cornered, not allowed to escape, and handled; the productive bite of a mature adult may produce painful wounds that bleed freely from the numerous puncture marks caused by its small, sharp teeth; the bite is otherwise inconsequential; this species of snake preys on mice and rats and is very beneficial.

Photos courtesy of Gail K.

Does it appear contradictory for me to assert that this snake is not venomous, but will bite if you mess with it, and though the bite can produce painful, bloody wounds, don't worry, it isn't anything to get upset about?  I must confess, every time one of these snakes bites me, I get upset. I'd be surprised if you didn't react the same way.  The thing is, this is such a "good" snake to have around that its tendency to get ugly when cornered, or threatened with a shovel or a big stick, is best overlooked. Gail, on finding this snake on the patio of her home near Lake LBJ did just that, and the snake soon disappeared, back into the grass where it belonged.

But, you ask, how could Gail overlook a snake that, given a chance, would likely have bitten her?  How can you, for example, do such a thing? Here's the easy answer:  Give it some room, let it go about its business without being molested, and--trust me--everything will work out just fine.  Gail sensed that this snake wasn't interested in biting humans.  Or dogs, or even cats.  Unless it is stalking prey or resting after a good meal, it's first desire is to  escape from sight. If you let it get away, it will be gone before you know it.

If, on the other hand, it is stalking prey (i.e., hunger--the great motivator--has it focused on securing food), or has a full belly from a successful hunt, it may loiter for a few minutes or even a few hours without moving very far.  Some have found these snakes curled around a light fixture, or a joist, on a patio, intent on staying put.  If left alone, they soon disappear. The only time you risk a potentially bloody, but--yes--otherwise inconsequential bite is when you take matters into your own hands to hasten its departure.

It's your choice, of course. Human nature being what it is, few of us can stand the thought of having a rat snake curled around one of our patio joists for very long. That's too bad. Every Texas rat snake left alive kills several times its weight in mice and rats every year.  Because of this service, we don't have to work so hard at rodent management around our homes.  That's important. A serious rat infestation poses a myriad of significant health risks. The only direct risk a rat snake poses is that we might hurt ourselves trying to get away from it or worse, while trying to kill it. Neither of those pursuits is necessary.  Rat snakes won't chase you (contrary to what some believe), and killing one is not a worthy endeavor--a dead rat snake won't keep your rat population in check...

But how can you be sure that a snake you see is one of these "good" guys, and not one of those "bad" guys you've heard about? Nobody wants to let a rattlesnake, coral snake, cottonmouth, or copperhead go free, right? I'm mostly with you on that, though I tend to let even venomous snakes alone in the wild.  At the same time, a rational person should not want to kill a Texas rat snake just because it might be another, perhaps poisonous, species. Fortunately, it isn't that hard to tell the difference.

Notice, for example, the conspicuous round eyes of this specimen.  The photo was taken with a flash, which is why the eye booms in as a bright, round, white spot. The reflection is off the retina, not the iris--the iris is not reflective, but the retina is remarkably so.  Clearly, this snake has a perfectly round pupil. A pit viper (cottonmouth, copperhead, or rattlesnake) has cat's eyes with vertical pupils quite unlike this one. Bull snakes, nerodian water snakes, garter snakes, king snakes, and a host of other non-venomous snakes found in Texas, have eyes just like this specimen.  If you can see that the eye is round, that's generally enough to tell you it isn't dangerous. The only exception to this rule is the Texas coral snake, which also has a round pupil. However, the Texas coral snake never has saddles or blotches on its body, like this snake. Instead, coral snakes have a series of red, yellow, and black bands, in that order ("Red touch yellow, kill a fellow--red touch black, friend of Jack"), or are nearly white or light yellow (genetic amelanistic coral snakes), or totally black (genetic melanistic coral snakes), and coral snake eyes are tiny, not large like these.

This Texas rat snake's tail tapers gently to a point, which is the way most Texas rat snake tails appear. Copperheads and cottonmouths have blunt tails* (juvenile copperheads and cottonmouths also have bright, sulfur-yellow tails), and rattlesnakes have conspicuous rattles (or, for juvenile rattlesnakes, buttons) on their tails.  Of course, a Texas rat snake whose tail has been shortened by the injudicious application of a garden hoe will also have a blunt tail, so it is good to be able to recognize the markings typical of the Texas rat snake, too.  That way, if you meet one with an amputated tail (and you might) you won't use that as your only excuse to end its life.

*I hasten to add that many of our non-venomous Texas snakes have naturally blunt tails, including certain nerodian water snakes and the hog-nosed snakes (both of which keep our toad populations in check). It is always a good idea to know the basic characteristics of those snakes, too, so that, should you come across one, you will be less likely to pronounce it dangerous by mistake and execute it on the spot. For a more complete discussion on snake markings and coloration, click here.

Many thanks to Gail for this photo.  And for later sending the high resolution version used here, so it could be enlarged to show additional details.

* TERMITE ENCOUNTERS  *  SNAKE ENCOUNTERS * SNAKE BITE FIRST AID * SNAKE EXCLUSION * SPIDER ENCOUNTERS FOR 2008 *  SPIDER ENCOUNTERS FOR 2007 * SPIDER BITE FIRST AID * SPIDER EXTERMINATION * PUSS CATERPILLAR ENCOUNTERS * PUSS CATERPILLAR FIRST AID * PUSS CATERPILLAR EXTERMINATION *  Assembled & Edited by Jerry Cates. Questions? Corrections? Comments? BUG ME RIGHT NOW! ---- Ph: 512-331-1111 ---- E-Mail ---- Privacy ----BugsInTheNews * --0a0s--