Yellow Rat Snake
Pantherophis alleghaniensis
Photo credit: Peter May
Yellow Rat snakes are experts at catching rats and other small rodents, and are liked by farmers. They eat many other small animals, and their hunting ground extends from underground burrows to the tops of trees.
Their ability to hunt at many different ecosystem levels allows them to survive in many different ecosystems. Also they don't seem to mind living near humans, and can be found in old barns or under houses.
Yellow rat snakes actively seek their food with a good sense of smell and often hunt at night. Once found, the prey is bitten and strangled. Yellow Rat snakes can grow to over six feet long, and live 20 years or longer.