Missouri Animals Black Rat Snake   (Elaphe obsoleta) Chordate: Vertebrate: Reptile: Serpentia: Colubridae Native North American snake Habitat: prairie, savanna, woodland, forest. Diet: mice, small birds, bats, rabbits. ID Features: black upper body, white lower body, weakly keeled scales. Natural History: The black rat snake is one of Missouri's most common snakes and is found statewide. They are often seen basking in sunny places along rocky wooded valleys. They are NOT VENOMOUS!! The snake pictured here was about to shed, and its eyes were clouded as a result. This species has been renamed Pantherophis obsoletus..

The graphics and text are from: The Amphibians and Reptiles of Missouri by Tom R. Johnson, Missouri Department of Conservation, ©1992