Animal Control Ratsnakes

An article I wrote for our local paper back on May 21, 2012...

© Photographer: William Wise | iNat Observation: 19968776 - Eastern Ratsnake; Walton County, Georgia. May 21, 2012.

Working as an animal control officer provides ample one-on-one photo opportunities with various creatures. The wonderful part is that I don’t have to spend hours going to hunt for wildlife, but people call me straight to them.

Throughout the spring and summer, many of our animal control calls are of the slithering sort. Even if just a harmless garden-variety snake, many people have an over-the-top fear of snake… and right away are up-on-top of a table and calling 911!

The main slithering subject of our animal control calls is the Eastern Rat Snake, or Black Ratsnake. About 85% or more of the calls are regarding Pantherophis alleghaniensis, the scientific name for this common eastern colubrid. Because of their abundance and ability to climb, they are no strangers to the insides of garages, sheds and even people’s living rooms!

Ratsnakes are terrestrial and arboreal. They are quite skilled at scaling the sides of tree bark and even brick homes. It is an amazing sight to place a Ratsnake on the side of a tree and watch him climb effortlessly, each scute grabbing ahold of the bark.

According to another website, in addition to their close proximity to households, they occur in many types of habitats, including agricultural areas, most types of hardwood forests, isolated urban woodlots, and forested wetlands. These snakes are often found in barns and old buildings where their primary prey, small rodents, occur in abundance.

由使用者 williamwisephoto 在 2022年05月21日 15:55 所貼文