{{Short description|Species of nonvenomous snake}} {{for|the species known as Gray's rat snake|Platyceps ventromaculatus}} {{Speciesbox | name = Central ratsnake | image = Gray Ratsnake (Pantherophis spiloides) (43567652625) (cropped).jpg | status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=Hammerson, G.A. |author-link=species:Geoffrey A. Hammerson |date=2019 |title=''Pantherophis spiloides '' |volume=2019 |article-number=e.T90069659A90069671 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-2.RLTS.T90069659A90069671.en |access-date=19 November 2021}}</ref> | genus = Pantherophis | species = alleghaniensis | authority = (Holbrook, 1836) | synonyms = *''Coluber alleghaniensis'' <br/>{{small|Holbrook, 1836}} *''Elaphis spiloides'' <br />{{small|A.M.C. Duméril, Bibron & A.H.A. Duméril, 1854}}<ref name=dum1854>Duméril A-M-C, Bibron G, [[Auguste Duméril|Duméril A[-H-A]]] (1854). ''Erpétologie générale ou histoire naturelle complète des reptiles. Tome septième. Première partie. Comprenant l'histoire des serpents non venimeux.'' Paris: Roret. xvi + 780 pp. (''Elaphis spiloides'', new species, pp. 269–270). (in French).</ref> *''Elaphe obsoleta spiloides'' <br />{{small|— Conant & Collins, 1991}} *''Elaphe spiloides'' <br />{{small|— Burbrink, 2001}} *''Pantherophis obsoletus spiloides'' <br />{{small|— D. Schmidt & Kunz, 2005}} *''Scotophis spiloides'' <br />{{small|— Collins & Taggart, 2008}} *''Pantherophis spiloides'' <br />{{small|— Pyron & Burbrink, 2009}} | synonyms_ref = <ref>{{EMBL species|genus=Pantherophis|species=alleghaniensis}} www.reptile-database.org.</ref> <ref>{{cite web|title=The corrected taxonomic history of the North American ratsnakes (''Pantherophis obsoletus'' complex)|author=Frank T. Burbrink|author2= R. Alexander Pyron|author3= Marcelo Gehara|author4= Alexander D. McKelvy|author5= Edward A. Myers|website=Rutgers Newark, Earth & Environmental Science|url=https://www.researchwithrutgers.com/en/publications/the-corrected-taxonomic-history-of-the-north-american-ratsnakes-p}}</ref> }}
The '''central ratsnake''' ('''''Pantherophis alleghaniensis'''''),<ref>{{cite web|title=The corrected taxonomic history of the North American ratsnakes (''Pantherophis obsoletus'' complex)|author=Frank T. Burbrink|author2= R. Alexander Pyron|author3= Marcelo Gehara|author4= Alexander D. McKelvy|author5= Edward A. Myers|website=Rutgers Newark, Earth & Environmental Science|url=https://www.researchwithrutgers.com/en/publications/the-corrected-taxonomic-history-of-the-north-american-ratsnakes-p}}</ref> also commonly known as the '''black ratsnake''', '''gray ratsnake''', '''chicken snake''', '''midland ratsnake''', or '''pilot black snake''', is a species of nonvenomous snake in the subfamily Colubrinae of the family Colubridae.<ref name=ssar/> The gray ratsnake is one of eight species within the American ratsnake genus ''Pantherophis''. ==Etymology== The generic name ''Pantherophis'', meaning "panther-like snake", is from {{langx|grc|πάνθηρ}}: ''pánthēr'', "panther" and {{langx|grc|ὄφις}}: ''óphis'', "snake".
The specific name name ''alleghaniensis '', meaning "Of the Allegheny Mountains," which refers to the Allegheny Mountains in eastern North America.
==Description== A medium to large serpent, the gray ratsnake typically reaches an adult size of {{cvt|99|-|183|cm|ft}} total length (including tail); however, the record is {{convert|213.9|cm|ft|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gray Ratsnake |url=https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/florida-snake-id/snake/gray-ratsnake/ |access-date=2024-06-02 |website=Florida Snake ID Guide |language=en-US}}</ref> Unlike other ''Pantherophis'', whose conspicuous juvenile pattern fades into adulthood, the gray ratsnake in the southern part of its range does not undergo drastic ontogenetic changes in color or markings. Instead, it retains the juvenile pattern of dark elongate dorsal blotches separated by four, or more, pale gray body scales, a light gray crown with dark striping that forms an anteriorly facing spearpoint, and a solid band which covers the eyes and extends rearward to the posterior upper labial scales. However, in the northern part of its range it is black in adulthood, like ''P. quadrivittatus'' (yellow ratsnake) and ''P. obsoletus'' (western ratsnake). The venter is usually off-white or pale gray with darker irregular blotches, and a double row of black spots behind the divided anal plate of the vent. The dorsal scale rows around midbody are usually weakly keeled.
{{Gallery |mode=packed |2=Detail of head|3=Gray Ratsnake (Pantherophis spiloides).jpg|4=Juvenile skin pattern|5=Gray Ratsnake 25.jpg|6=Adult|title=}}
==Geographic distribution and habitat== Native to North America, ''Pantherophis alleghaniensis'' is commonly found in the forests of the eastern and central United States, west of the Appalachian Mountains and east of the Mississippi River. It occurs relatively continuously throughout the major part of the eastern half of the United States, along the Piedmont throughout Kentucky, from southwestern New England to the Gulf of Mexico, westward to the Mississippi River, and northward from northern Louisiana to southwestern Wisconsin.
In Canada, this species is known to occur in two disjunct regions of southern Ontario: the Carolinian forest region along the north shore of Lake Erie in the southwest, and the Great Lakes/St. Lawrence region in the southeast.<ref name=sara>{{cite web |url=http://www.sararegistry.gc.ca/species/speciesDetails_e.cfm?sid=983 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130610232027/http://www.sararegistry.gc.ca/species/speciesDetails_e.cfm?sid=983 |archive-date=June 10, 2013 |title=Species at Risk Public Registry – Species Profile (Gray Ratsnake)|website=Sararegistry.gc.ca|access-date=2013-08-24}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://ontarionature.org/programs/citizen-science/reptile-amphibian-atlas/gray-ratsnake/ |title=Gray Ratsnake|website=Ontario Nature}}</ref><ref name=ontvid/>
The species readily hybridizes with ''P. quadrivittatus'' in the east and ''P. obsoletus'' in the west. This hybridization creates large zones of taxonomic uncertainty, where species-level identification can be difficult.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Burbrink |first=Frank T. |last2=Gehara |first2=Marcelo |last3=McKelvy |first3=Alexander D. |last4=Myers |first4=Edward A. |date=February 2021 |title=Resolving spatial complexities of hybridization in the context of the gray zone of speciation in North American ratsnakes (Pantherophis obsoletus complex) |url=https://academic.oup.com/evolut/article/75/2/260/6881943 |journal=Evolution |language=en |volume=75 |issue=2 |pages=260–277 |doi=10.1111/evo.14141 |issn=0014-3820|url-access=subscription }}</ref>
===Habitat=== An agile climber,<ref name=ontvid/> the central ratsnake is at home from the ground to the tree tops in many types of hardwood forest and cypress stands, along tree-lined streams and fields, and even around barns and sheds in close proximity to people. It will ascend trees in search of bird nests and squirrel dreys, among other arboreal prey. Within its range, almost any environment rich in rodents, and vertical escape options, proves a suitable habitat for the central ratsnake. Reproductive female rat snakes often use water-filled tree cavities during their active seasons for gestation.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Factors influencing the use of water-filled tree cavities by eastern ratsnakes (Pantherophis alleghaniensis) {{!}} U.S. Geological Survey |url=https://www.usgs.gov/publications/factors-influencing-use-water-filled-tree-cavities-eastern-ratsnakes-pantherophis |access-date=2026-04-23 |website=www.usgs.gov |language=en}}</ref> These snakes have a large home range that is variable in size based on habitat type and quality. They display site fidelity choosing to return to the same spots within in their range over and over again to hunt.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Howze |first=Jennifer M. |last2=Sash |first2=Kimberly J. |last3=Carroll |first3=John P. |last4=Smith |first4=Lora L. |date=2019-01-15 |title=A regional scale assessment of habitat selection and home range of the eastern rat snake in pine-dominated forests |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378112718309526 |journal=Forest Ecology and Management |volume=432 |pages=225–230 |doi=10.1016/j.foreco.2018.09.018 |issn=0378-1127|url-access=subscription }}</ref>Central ratsnakes frequently live in environments that burn semi-regularly either naturally or as a management technique. The snakes typically return to the habitat within three years of a burn.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Howze |first=Jennifer M. |last2=Smith |first2=Lora L. |date=2021-02-01 |title=The influence of prescribed fire on site selection in snakes in the longleaf pine ecosystem |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378112720314729 |journal=Forest Ecology and Management |volume=481 |article-number=118703 |doi=10.1016/j.foreco.2020.118703 |issn=0378-1127|url-access=subscription }}</ref>
thumb|''Pantherophis alleghaniensis'' displaying its ability to climb trees.
==Diet and behavior== ===Diet=== A scent-hunter and a powerful constrictor, ''Pantherophis alleghaniensis'' feeds primarily on small mammals, birds, and bird eggs.<ref name=ontvid/> Neonates and juveniles prefer a diet of frogs and lizards. Central ratsnakes hunt using a combination of sit and wait, active pursuit, and nest predation strategies. Their active hunting style leads to a consistent high metabolic state and high average body temperature.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Tillett |first=William L. |last2=Noble |first2=Elizabeth J. |last3=Powers |first3=John R. |last4=Stubbs |first4=Amber A. |last5=Thompson |first5=Morgan L. |last6=Tipton |first6=Anna F. |last7=DeSantis |first7=Dominic L. |date=2025-01-31 |title=Revisiting the Energetics Hypothesis: Accelerometry Reveals Hidden Variation in the Movement Behavior of Snakes with Differing Foraging Modes |url=https://bioone.org/journals/herpetologica/volume-81/issue-1/Herpetologica-D-24-00030/Revisiting-the-Energetics-Hypothesis--Accelerometry-Reveals-Hidden-Variation-in/10.1655/Herpetologica-D-24-00030.full |journal=Herpetologica |volume=81 |issue=1 |doi=10.1655/Herpetologica-D-24-00030 |issn=0018-0831|url-access=subscription }}</ref>
===Behavior=== When startled, the central ratsnake, like other ratsnakes, stops and remains motionless with its body held in a series of wave-like kinks. The snake will also rattle its tail against whatever it is lying on, making an audible buzzing sound; this is intended to fool a potential threat into thinking that it has encountered a rattlesnake. The central ratsnake will defend itself by raising its head and bluffing a strike. If handled, it will musk a victim by releasing the foul-smelling contents of its cloaca, and will bite if necessary. However, the central ratsnake is less likely to bite than other members of its genus,{{citation needed|date=July 2016}} and wounds from a bite rarely require more than a small bandage. These snakes are timid and avoid unnecessary conflict, some studies suggest that the stress from capture and restraint is as physiologically demanding as intensive breeding displays.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Cerreta |first=Anthony J. |last2=Cannizzo |first2=Sarah A. |last3=Smith |first3=Dustin C. |last4=Minter |first4=Larry J. |date=2020-02-14 |title=Venous hematology, biochemistry, and blood gas analysis of free-ranging Eastern Copperheads (Agkistrodon contortrix) and Eastern Ratsnakes (Pantherophis alleghaniensis) |url=https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0229102 |journal=PLOS ONE |language=en |volume=15 |issue=2 |article-number=e0229102 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0229102 |doi-access=free|issn=1932-6203 |pmc=7021292 |pmid=32059022}}</ref> Central ratsnakes are preyed upon by kingsnakes. Kingsnakes are smaller but have a stronger constriction ability than ratsnakes and are able to overpower the ratsnakes.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Penning |first=David A. |last2=Moon |first2=Brad R. |date=2017-03-15 |title=The king of snakes: performance and morphology of intraguild predators ( Lampropeltis ) and their prey ( Pantherophis ) |url=https://journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/220/6/1154/18830/The-king-of-snakes-performance-and-morphology-of |journal=Journal of Experimental Biology |language=en |volume=220 |issue=6 |pages=1154–1161 |doi=10.1242/jeb.147082 |issn=1477-9145|url-access=subscription }}</ref>
===Reproduction=== Breeding in ''P. alleghaniensis'' takes place from April to July. Females reach sexual maturity at 7–9 years of age.<ref name=ontvid/> They deposit 5 to 27 eggs around mid-summer, and the {{cvt|25|-|30|cm}} hatchlings usually emerge in September. Females often select high humidity, decaying log microhabitats for oviposition. <ref>{{Cite journal |last=Fitch |first=Henry S. |date=1963-12-31 |title=Natural History of the Black Rat Snake (Elaphe o. obsoleta) in Kansas |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/1440967?origin=crossref |journal=Copeia |volume=1963 |issue=4 |pages=649 |doi=10.2307/1440967|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Additionally, they frequently use communal nesting sites, where multiple females deposit eggs under the same log or stump.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Fitch |first=Henry S. |date=1963-12-31 |title=Natural History of the Black Rat Snake (Elaphe o. obsoleta) in Kansas |url=https://doi.org/10.2307/1440967 |journal=Copeia |volume=1963 |issue=4 |pages=649 |doi=10.2307/1440967 |issn=0045-8511|url-access=subscription }}</ref>
==Conservation status== The central ratsnake is considered common across much of its range, but is listed as "of special concern" in Michigan<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,4570,7-153-10370_12145_12201-61209--,00.html |title=Gray ratsnake|website=Michigan Department of Natural Resources}}</ref> and is also listed as rare in Wisconsin.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/endangeredresources/animals.asp?mode=detail&speccode=aradb13090 |title=Gray ratsnake|website=Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources}}</ref> The central ratsnake is listed federally in Canada as "endangered" (Carolinean population) and "threatened" (Great Lakes – St. Lawrence population).<ref name=sara/><ref name=ontvid/> In the state of Georgia, all indigenous, nonvenomous snakes are illegal to kill or capture, and are considered to be in the custody of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.georgiawildlife.org/documentdetail.aspx?docid=6&pageid=1&category=conservation|archive-date=8 September 2012|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120908200913/http://www.georgiawildlife.org/documentdetail.aspx?docid=6&pageid=1&category=conservation |publisher=Georgia Wildlife.org |title=Keeping Georgia Wildlife as Pets|website=georgiawildlife.org}}</ref>
Habitat destruction and road mortality are leading causes of decline.<ref name=ontvid/>
==References== {{commons category|Pantherophis spiloides}} {{Reflist|refs= <ref name=dum1854>Duméril A-M-C, Bibron G, [[Auguste Duméril|Duméril A[-H-A]]] (1854). ''Erpétologie générale ou histoire naturelle complète des reptiles. Tome septième. Première partie. Comprenant l'histoire des serpents non venimeux.'' Paris: Roret. xvi + 780 pp. (''Elaphis spiloides'', new species, pp. 269–270). (in French).</ref> <ref name=ontvid>{{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPeGSrLICJs|title=Ontario Wildlife Series video|via=YouTube}}</ref> <ref name=ssar>{{cite book|url=http://www.ssarherps.org/pages/comm_names/Pantherophis_main.php |chapter=''Pantherophis'' Fitzinger, 1843—North American Ratsnakes|title=Scientific and Standard English Names of Amphibians and Reptiles of North America North of Mexico, With Comments Regarding Confidence In Our Understanding|edition=6.1|date=24 May 2011}}</ref> }}
==Further reading== *{{cite book |last1=Holbrook |first1=J.E. |author1-link=John Edwards Holbrook |title=North American Herpetology; or, A Description of the Reptiles Inhabiting the United States. Vol. I |date=1836 |publisher=J. Dobson |location=Philadelphia}} 120 pp. (''Coluber alleghaniensis'', new species, pp. 111–112 + Plate 18 [cited as Plate XX in text]). *Powell R, Conant R, Collins JT (2016). ''Peterson Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Fourth Edition''. Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. xiv + 494 pp. {{ISBN|978-0-544-12997-9}}. (''Pantherophis spiloides'' [sic] = ''Pantherophis alleghaniensis'', pp. 389–390 + Figure 161 on p. 334 + Plate 36 on p. 335 + Map on p. 385 + Figure 180 on p. 386).
{{Taxonbar|from=Q3362474}}
Category:Rat snakes Category:Reptiles of Ontario Category:Reptiles of the United States Category:Reptiles described in 1854 Category:Taxa named by André Marie Constant Duméril Category:Taxa named by Gabriel Bibron Category:Taxa named by Auguste Duméril Category:Pantherophis