CreatureData

Texas ratsnake

Pantherophis obsoletus (Say, 1823)

Status not recordedsnakes

The texas ratsnake (Pantherophis obsoletus) is a species in the family Colubridae, order Squamata. Recorded adults weigh about 6.56 kg and live up to 20 years.

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Quick facts about the texas ratsnake

Weight
6.56 kg
Length
up to 2.57 m
Lifespan
20 years
Diet
Carnivore
Longest recorded lifespan
33.9 years
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
forest
Egg incubation
73.5 days
Young per litter or clutch
14 – 15
Age at maturity
4 years
Litters or clutches a year
0.33
Reproduction
Eggs
Active
By day (diurnal)
Lifestyle
Terrestrial
Conservation status
Not recorded
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the texas ratsnake live?

Not recorded

Is the texas ratsnake endangered?

No conservation assessment is recorded for this species in our sources. That is not the same as being safe: it has not been matched to an assessment.

How is the texas ratsnake classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classReptilia
  4. orderSquamata
  5. familyColubridae
  6. genusPantherophis
  7. SpeciesPantherophis obsoletus (Say, 1823)

Synonyms Coluber obsoletus, Coluber reticularis, Elaphe obsoleta, Elaphe obsoleta lindheimerii, Elaphe obsoleta obsoleta, Scotophis confinis, Scotophis laetus, Scotophis lindheimerii

Other names and names in other languages (26)
  • Black rat snakeEnglish
  • Eastern rat snakeEnglish
  • Everglades ratsnake (rossalleni)English
  • Pilot black snakeEnglish
  • Pilot black snake (obsoleta)English
  • Texas rat snake (lindheimeri)English
  • Western rat snakeEnglish
  • Yellow rat snake (quadrivittata)English
  • أفعى الجُرذان الغربيَّةArabic
  • ᎦᎴᎩCherokee
  • užovka černáCzech
  • Vestamerikansk RottesnogDanish
  • ErdnatterGerman
  • Serpent ratier noirFrench
  • zwarte rattenslangDutch
  • Cobra-rateira-TexanaPortuguese
  • Серый лазающий полозRussian
  • Полоз щурячийUkrainian
  • 德州鼠蛇Chinese
  • užovka černá čtyřpruháCzech
  • BergnatterGerman
  • PilotnatterGerman
  • Schwarze ErdnatterGerman
  • Texas-KükennatterGerman
  • Serpent ratier de l'ouestFrench
  • Cobra-rateira-orientalPortuguese

Catalogue of Life

Relatives of the texas ratsnake

Other species in the same genus Pantherophis.

LC, Least Concern
Corn snake (Pantherophis guttatus)

Corn snake

Pantherophis guttatus

Colubridae

Gray ratsnake

Pantherophis alleghaniensis

ColubridaeNo free photo yet

CompareTexas ratsnake vs Corn snakeTexas ratsnake vs Baird's rat snakeTexas ratsnake vs Great plains rat snakeTexas ratsnake vs Gray ratsnake

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the texas ratsnake?

An adult texas ratsnake weighs 6.56 kg, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

How long does the texas ratsnake live?

The texas ratsnake has a recorded lifespan of 20 years.

What kind of animal is the texas ratsnake?

The texas ratsnake (Pantherophis obsoletus) belongs to the family Colubridae in the order Squamata.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Texas ratsnake (Pantherophis obsoletus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/texas-ratsnake

MLA

“Texas ratsnake (Pantherophis obsoletus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/texas-ratsnake.

BibTeX
@misc{texas_ratsnake_2026,
  title = {Texas ratsnake (Pantherophis obsoletus)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/texas-ratsnake},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}