How to Identify the Great Plains Rat Snake (Identification Guide)
The Great Plains rat snake is a pale, blotched nonvenomous snake of the central United States, recognized by its light gray-tan body with brown blotches and narrow head.
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Key identifying features
The Great Plains rat snake (Pantherophis emoryi) is a nonvenomous colubrid with a pale grayish or tan body marked by a series of dark brown or gray blotches running down the back, bordered by smaller alternating blotches along the sides. It has smooth to weakly keeled scales and a narrow head barely distinct from the neck.
Coloration & pattern
The dorsal ground color ranges from pale gray to light brown or tan, overlaid with a row of dark brown or grayish rounded to squarish blotches down the back, each usually outlined with a darker border. A distinctive dark stripe or spear-shaped marking often runs from the eye to the jaw, and a dark line typically connects the eyes across the top of the head. The belly is pale with scattered dark checkering.
Head, eyes & scales
The head is narrow and only slightly wider than the neck, with round pupils typical of nonvenomous colubrids. Scales are smooth or very weakly keeled along the back, giving the body a fairly smooth, satiny texture compared to more heavily keeled species.
Size & body shape
Adults typically reach 90–120 cm, with a slender to moderately built body and a moderately long tail, consistent with other rat snakes in the Pantherophis genus.
Range & habitat where you'll see it
The Great Plains rat snake ranges across the central United States, including Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, and neighboring states, extending into northern Mexico, favoring prairie, rocky outcrops, agricultural land, and semi-arid scrub. It is often found under rocks, in rodent burrows, or near barns and farm structures.
How to tell it apart from look-alikes
The pale ground color combined with a row of dark, well-defined blotches distinguishes it from more boldly striped or uniformly colored rat snake relatives. It can be confused with juvenile bullsnakes or gopher snakes, which share a blotched pattern, but the Great Plains rat snake has smoother scales, a narrower head, and lacks the heavily keeled scales and loud hissing display typical of bullsnakes.
Frequently asked questions
What does a Great Plains rat snake look like?
It has a pale gray to tan body marked with a row of dark brown or gray blotches down the back, with a distinctive dark marking running from the eye toward the jaw.
How is it different from a bullsnake?
The Great Plains rat snake has smoother scales and a narrower head than the bullsnake, which has more heavily keeled scales and a bulkier build.
How big does the Great Plains rat snake get?
Adults typically reach 90–120 cm in length with a slender to moderate build.
Where is the Great Plains rat snake found?
It occurs across the central United States, including Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas, extending into northern Mexico, in prairie and rocky habitats.