Black Rat Snakes Are Not Copperheads

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An adult black rant snake sunning himself on a tree branch. — Adult black rat snakes often sun themselves on tree branches. Always look up!

A lot of people get confused when finding snakes in their yard in the spring and summer months.

A juvenile black rat snake on a rock. — A juvenile black rat snake sitting on a rock.

Black rat (Elaphe obsoleta obsolete) snakes as adults, are black with a bit of a pattern or completely black with a while belly. As babies, they are black, white and gray with a pattern.

People often confuse baby black rat snakes with copperheads (Agkistrodon contortrix). Copperheads are native to Maryland, but most of them are not in suburban or urban areas. If you have a pond and live in the country, there might be a chance you actually do have copperheads in your yard.

A timber rattlesnake sunning on the rocks. — A yellow phase timber rattlesnake (there is also a gray phase) sunning himself on some rocks.

A copperhead with mouth open showing fangs. — A copperhead showing some fangs.

We do not have rattlesnakes in the Baltimore area. Timber rattlesnakes (Crotalus horridus) are found in rocky outcrops to the north and west of Baltimore, but only in the mountains. Most are in very rural areas. They are protected in Maryland.

A northern water snake in a stream. — A northern water snake in a stream, coming up for a breath of air.

Another snake that adds to the confusion is the northern water snake (Nerodia sipedon). This poor animal is often killed due to the fact that it has brown coloring. It is banded and does not have the copper hourglass shape of the copperhead. If bitten by a northern water snake, you will bleed a lot for a tiny cut. Water snakes, as well as garter snakes, have an anticoagulant in their saliva that stops your blood from clotting. It’s nothing dangerous. You just bleed a lot more than you would expect from a tiny injury and it may continue to ooze tiny amounts for a long time.

A Dekay's snake next to a quarter to show size. — A DeKay’s snake next to a quarter to show how tiny it is.

There is a tiny snake in Maryland called the DeKay’s snake or northern brown snake (Storeria dekayi dekayi). It too is often mistaken for a copperhead. Full-grown, these snakes are barely a foot in length and are completely harmless.

If you find an injured native snake, you need to get them to a wildlife rehabilitator.

If you find a non-native snake, you can call a rescue such as Forgotten Friend in Pennsylvania, and they will try to help.

Please don’t kill snakes that come onto your property. Try to identify them to be safe. Odds are, they are harmless.

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Read more by Holli Friedland.

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