Common Name: 
Black rat snake

Scientific Name: 
Elaphe obsoleta obsoleta

Identification: 25 to 84 in; shiny black with a white throat and belly. Juvenile rat snakes are pale gray with dark brown blotches; scales keeled.

Habit:  Black rat snakes live in almost every upland habitat in Louisiana, mostly a mixture of pastures, farmland and woodlands. 
   
Distribution: This subspecie is found in central and northern Louisiana.

Comments: This snake eats rats and mice; It has the same behavior as the Texas rat snake listed above. These snakes are non-venomous.