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Information about Elaphe Obsoleta

Elaphe obsoleta

Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Subphylum:Vertebrata
Class:Reptilia
Order:Squamata
Suborder:Serpentes
Family:Colubridae
Genus:Elaphe
Species:E. obsoleta
Binomial name
Elaphe obsoleta
(Say In James, 1823)


Common names: black rat snake, pilot black snake, black snake.[1]

Elaphe obsoleta is a non-venomous colubrid species found in North America. It prefers heavily wooded areas and they are known for having excellent climbing ability, including the ability to climb the trunk of large mature trees without the aid of branches. No subspecies are currently recognized.[2]

Description

This species is a constrictor, meaning it suffocates its prey, coiling around small animals and tightening its grip until they can no longer draw breath, before eating them. (see constriction.) Though they do consume mice and rats, the Black Rat Snakes also willingly consume other snake, chipmunks, squirrels, birds, and bird eggs.

Adults can become quite large and are known to reach up to eight (8) feet, being the largest snake found in Canada. The record length for a Black Rat Snake is 101 inches, making it (officially) the largest snake in North America. Unofficially, Indigo Snakes are known to exceed them, and one wild caught Pine Snake with a portion of its tail missing measured 111 inches.

When spotted by humans, Black Rat Snakes may freeze and wrinkle themselves into a series of kinks. If cornered, they may attempt to mimic rattlesnakes' behavior by vibrating the tip of their tail, giving a buzzing low-pitch sound. Black Rat Snakes are usually non-aggressive, but may strike at anyone who tries to capture or harm them. They are non-venomous, and bites are not usually serious.

Taxonomic issues

There are recent proposed, but not universally accepted, taxonomic changes for this species and the other North American members of Elaphe (suggested Pantherophis). Some taxonomists have suggested splitting what is now Elaphe obsoleta (suggested P. obsoletus) into three geographically separate species: Under this scheme, the color variations (Black Rat Snake, Yellow Rat Snake, Grey Rat Snake) do not correspond to subspecies. The color phases are considered to be a clinal variation in pigmentation with latitude or other climatic factors.

It should be noted that while a taxonomic suggestion has been made to change the genus Elaphe to Pantherophis, and this suggestion has been taken up by the web community at large, most herpetologists do not accept the suggestion and Herpetological Review 2003 34(3) rejected the taxonomic change. Several arguments against the change concerns the type of analysis used and the concept of "species" in biology.
  • The Russian study that suggested the Old World and New World rat snakes were statistically significantly different was based off of mitochondrial DNA evidence, not nuclear DNA.
  • According to the concept of a species that is most commonly used in biology, if two populations can interbreed and produce viable, fertile and ecologically functional offspring, the two populations are the same species. Under this definition hybrids are, by definition, sterile and the product of crossing different species (at least). This genetic compatibility is based on nuclear DNA (nDNA). Mitochondrial DNA (mDNA) has nothing to do with compatiblity of genomes and thus the functioning of a group as a single or multiple species.
  • Since the mitochondrion is of bacterial origin (its chromosome is a single, circular chromosome like a bacterial chromosome) and lacks much of the proof reading apparatus found in the nucleus, it has a much higher mutation rate than nDNA. As long as the cytochrome system and the ATP generation apparatus still function, mutations in mitochondria can abound with little detriment to the cell. Thus wide diversity in mitochondrial sequences may be found while nDNA sequences may not be nearly as diverse.
  • Since, in nature, biological species are most readily recognized by their ability to reproduce with each other, and that is a function of nDNA compatibility, examination of mDNA is useful to determine separation of populations, but not speciation since the mitochondria are not needed for genetic compatibility.
  • Since the Russian study used mDNA instead of nDNA no relevance to the reproductive and nuclear genetic relatedness of the genera can be inferred from the data.
These references discuss some of the taxonomic issues.

Photo gallery


Found in Virginia at the beginning of summer 2004.

Black Rat Snake, face

Black Rat Snake kinking, or "crinkling" while stressed.

ventral surface

Found in Charlotte, NC late April '07.

Same Charlotte snake being released.

North Carolina specimen eating a rodent.


Cited references

1. ^ Wright AH, Wright AA. 1957. Handbook of Snakes. Comstock Publishing Associates. (7th printing, 1985). 1105 pp. ISBN 0-8014-0463-0.
2. ^ Elaphe obsoleta (TSN 174177). Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Accessed on 29 November 2006.

External links

Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. Scientific classification also can be called scientific taxonomy, but should be distinguished from folk taxonomy, which lacks scientific basis.
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Chordata
Bateson, 1885

Typical Classes

See below

Chordates (phylum Chordata) are a group of animals that includes the vertebrates, together with several closely related invertebrates.
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Vertebrata
Cuvier, 1812

Classes and Clades

See below
Vertebrates are members of the subphylum Vertebrata (within the phylum Chordata), specifically, those chordates with backbones or spinal columns.
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Sauropsida*
Goodrich, 1916

Subclasses
  • Anapsida
  • Diapsida
Synonyms
  • Reptilia Laurenti, 1768
Reptiles are tetrapods and amniotes, animals whose embryos are surrounded by an amniotic membrane, and members of the class
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Squamata
Oppel, 1811

black: range of Squamata


Suborders
see text

This article is about the Squamata order of reptiles. For the Roman scale armour see: Lorica squamata.

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Serpentes
Linnaeus, 1758

Infraorders and Families
  • Alethinophidia - Nopcsa, 1923
  • Acrochordidae- Bonaparte, 1831

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Colubridae

Subfamilies

Boodontinae
Calamariinae
Colubrinae
Dipsadinae
Homalopsinae
Natricinae
Pareatinae
Psammophiinae
Pseudoxenodontinae
Pseudoxyrhophiinae
Xenodermatinae
Xenodontinae
incertae sedis
See text for genera.
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Elaphe
Wagler, 1833

Common names: corn snakes, fox snakes, rat snakes, ratsnakes.[1]

Elaphe is a genus of non-venomous colubrid snakes found in North and Central America.
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binomial nomenclature is the formal system of naming species. The system is also called binominal nomenclature (particularly in zoological circles), binary nomenclature (particularly in botanical circles), or the binomial classification system.
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Thomas Say (June 27, 1787 – October 10, 1834) was an American naturalist, entomologist, malacologist and carcinologist. He was a taxonomist and is often considered to be the founder of descriptive entomology in the United States and one of the founding fathers of the
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Colubridae

Subfamilies

Boodontinae
Calamariinae
Colubrinae
Dipsadinae
Homalopsinae
Natricinae
Pareatinae
Psammophiinae
Pseudoxenodontinae
Pseudoxyrhophiinae
Xenodermatinae
Xenodontinae
incertae sedis
See text for genera.
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species is one of the basic units of biological classification. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring.
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North America is a continent [1] in the Earth's northern hemisphere and (chiefly) western hemisphere. It is bordered on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the southeast by the Caribbean Sea, and on the south and west
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Constrictor may refer to:
  • Any snake that kills its prey by constriction.
  • Contrictor, Laurenti, 1768: a synonym for the genus Boa.[1]
  • Contrictor, Wagler, 1830: a synonym for the genus Python.

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predation describes a biological interaction where a predator organism feeds on another living organism or organisms known as prey.[1] Predators may or may not kill their prey prior to feeding on them.
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Snakes

Constriction is a method used by various snake species to kill their prey. Although some species of venomous and mildly-venomous snakes do use constriction to subdue their prey, most snakes which use constriction lack venom.
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This page is currently protected from editing until disputes have been resolved.
Protection is not an endorsement of the current [ version] ([ protection log]).
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North America is a continent [1] in the Earth's northern hemisphere and (chiefly) western hemisphere. It is bordered on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the southeast by the Caribbean Sea, and on the south and west
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Drymarchon
Fitzinger, 1843

Species and subspecies

Drymarchon caudomaculatus
Drymarchon corais
  Drymarchon corais corais
  Drymarchon couperi endangered
 
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P. m. melanoleucus

Trinomial name
Pituophis melanoleucus melanoleucus
Daudin, 1803

Pine snakes (Pituophis melanoleucus) are a large species of non-venomous colubrid snakes native to the United States.
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Allegheny Mountain Range (also spelled Alleghany and Allegany) -- informally, the Alleghenies -- is part of the Appalachian Mountain Range of the eastern United States and Canada.
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Origin Confluence of Chattahoochee and Flint Rivers at Chattahoochee, Florida
Mouth Gulf of Mexico
at Apalachicola, Florida
Basin countries United States
Length 112 mi (180 km)
Source elevation 77 ft

Avg.
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Mississippi River

Mississippi River in New Orleans.


Country | United States
States |
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Mississippi River

Mississippi River in New Orleans.


Country | United States
States |
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E. obsoleta

Subspecies: E. o. spiloides

Trinomial name
Elaphe obsoleta spiloides

A Grey Rat Snake (Elaphe obsoleta spiloides) is a species of rat snake.
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In population genetics, a cline is a gradual change of a character or feature (phenotype) in a species over a geographical area, often as a result of environmental heterogeneity.
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The Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) is a partnership designed to provide consistent and reliable information on the taxonomy of biological species. ITIS was originally formed in 1996 as an interagency group within the U.S.
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November 29 is the 1st day of the year (2nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 0 days remaining.

Events

  • 1777 - San Jose, California, founded as el Pueblo de San José de Guadalupe.

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