A Rat Snake Has a Hissy Fit

The Eastern Black Rat Snake (Pantherophis alleghaniensis) must be the most common snake in Maryland. They seem to turn up everywhere, even on the University of Maryland campus. During the first year of Bug Camp, a summer day camp for kids 7-12 years, we took campers to the bank of the Paint Branch River in search of bugs. We turned a log over and exposed a big rat snake that immediately coiled up and adopted a threatening posture. I was pleasantly surprised that the kids were more curious than alarmed, and, in fact, one camper seemed intent on going nose to nose with the reptile. Concerned that one might bite the other, and not wanting to make a scene, I casually slipped my canvas sweep net between the contestants and defused the situation. I then transported Mr. Snake to the thick brush. (Well, to be honest, I had a graduate student do it. We can always get more grad students.)

Adult black rat snakes feed on rodents and birds, which they kill by constriction, and bird's eggs, which they don't constrict. (Imagine the mess!) They're great climbers, and the bane of those who tend bird nest boxes. The snakes readily enter buildings, including barns and houses, in search of mice or a sheltered place to overwinter. I think I'm safe in saying that if you live in a rural setting and don't have a cat or two, you will have rat snakes... and you may have rat snakes anyway. They can get fairly long. The ones I see around my house are usually about 3 to 3.5 feet, but the world record is over 8 feet. They are non-venomous and considered harmless, but they certainly strike out if really annoyed.

Just before my most recent encounter, I was puttering around outside the house and wandered toward the utility garage, where the yard-working junk lives. The snake had just emerged from a small space at the bottom of the garage door and was clearly peeved that there was a witness to his transgression. I whipped out my smart phone camera to capture and amplify his embarrassment and to gather evidence for any subsequent legal proceedings.

A Black Rat Snake gets all up in my face. Click for video.

He got increasingly bent out of shape that I was documenting his bad behavior. He bunched up several bends behind his head, elevated his front end and began rocking it to and fro. Lacking a middle finger, he began twitching the tip of his tail and began blowing a raspberry by vibrating some dried leaves! Well, if he was going to escalate to hissy fit level, I would up the ante by switching to video. By posting his misadventure, it is my hope that the resulting public humiliation will make him and his ilk think twice before ignoring the no trespassing signs. The strategy seems to have worked ... so far.