Is the eastern ratsnake venomous?

The eastern ratsnake is harmless. Harmless and genuinely useful. Non-venomous, and there is no reason to remove one from a barn or garden unless it is getting into poultry.

How do you identify a eastern ratsnake?

Adults: glossy black with a pale chin and throat, and a body cross-section shaped like a loaf of bread rather than a round tube. Juveniles: grey with dark grey blotches and a bar across the head between the eyes — no copper tones.

Where do eastern ratsnakes live?

They are found in 17 US states, in habitats including woods, farmland, suburban and indoors.

Eastern Ratsnake

Harmless

Pantherophis alleghaniensis · also called black rat snake, black snake, chicken snake, pilot snake

The eastern ratsnake is the big black snake of eastern barns, attics and woodlots, and it is one of the most beneficial animals a property can host — a single adult eats a great many rats and mice each year. It climbs superbly, which is why it turns up in rafters, gutters and bird boxes. Its juveniles are grey and blotched, and are the single most common source of mistaken copperhead reports.

Venom: Harmless and genuinely useful. Non-venomous, and there is no reason to remove one from a barn or garden unless it is getting into poultry.
Adult length: 42–72 inches (107–183 cm)
Markings: Adults are glossy black above with a faint trace of blotching visible in strong light, and a white or grey chin and throat. Juveniles look completely different: pale grey with bold dark grey blotches and a dark bar between the eyes.
Habitat: woods, farmland, suburban, indoors
Family: colubrid
Range: 17 US states

How to identify a eastern ratsnake

Adults: glossy black with a pale chin and throat, and a body cross-section shaped like a loaf of bread rather than a round tube.
Juveniles: grey with dark grey blotches and a bar across the head between the eyes — no copper tones.
Excellent climber. A snake several feet up a tree trunk or in a rafter is very unlikely to be a pit viper.
Vibrates its tail in dry leaves, producing a convincing rattling sound.

What it does when it sees you

Freezes when first seen, then either moves off slowly or rears into an S-coil and strikes if pressed. Releases a strong musk when handled. It will happily live in an outbuilding for years without anyone noticing.

What the eastern ratsnake is confused with

One test settles each of these.

Copperhead →

Juvenile ratsnakes are grey with grey blotches. Copperheads are tan or pink with copper hourglass bands and an unmarked copper head.

North American racer →

Racers are matte black, more slender, much faster, and have a smooth satin finish rather than a faintly patterned gloss.

Where it lives

Alabama Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Kentucky Maryland Massachusetts New Jersey New York North Carolina Pennsylvania South Carolina Tennessee Virginia Vermont West Virginia

Before anything else

Back away and leave it alone. A snake that can see you leaving has no reason to bite. Most bites in the United States happen to people who picked up, cornered, or tried to kill a snake.
Never handle a snake to identify it. Every identification on this site can be made from a photo or from several feet away.
If someone is bitten, call emergency services now. Keep the limb still and below the heart, remove rings and watches, and go to hospital. Do not cut, suck, apply ice, or use a tourniquet — all of these make outcomes worse.
Do not try to catch the snake for identification. A photo from a distance is enough, and hospitals treat symptoms rather than species.

In the US, the Poison Help line is 1-800-222-1222. This site is a reference, not medical advice.

Not sure it was a eastern ratsnake? Identify it step by step →