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Rat Snake ID Needed

airenlow

airenlow

hope is not a strategy
This guy wasn't in the field, but at a reptile zoo in PA. He was labeled as a generic "rat snake" and it showed them native to the central US. Nothing about him is really standing out to me. He was about 6 feet long and had a massive head. I first thought Everglades rat, but after looking at pics, that guess appears to be incorrect. Any ideas?

DSC_0748.jpg
 
The size (girth), saddle pattern and width of the head are confusing me. Corn hybrid maybe?
 
I thought the corn was obvious enough that you must have been talking about the Cotton Mouth.
 
That's interesting! The saddles look off for a Corn, and the head shape is different, but it still screams Corn to me. Maybe Robbie is right, and it's a Corn/Yellow or Corn/Glades intergrade. I'm leaning toward Corn/Yellow Rat, as the shape of the head seems similar to a Yellow Rat.
 
RobbiesCornField said:
Could be a corn x glades or corn x yellow. But it definitely looks like it does have corn in it!
Click to expand...
I didn't think a zoo would have a hybrid, so I was looking elsewhere. Maybe that's why it didn't have a more specific label...

wade said:
I thought the corn was obvious enough that you must have been talking about the Cotton Mouth.
Click to expand...

It didn't, and still doesn't, strike me as being full corn. And if it is, the location given on the label was pretty far off. Which wouldn't surprise me either...

Nanci said:
I can't help myself...
Click to expand...
Too funny, Nanci!
 
I would like to change my answer. :) I'm thinking it's full Everglades Rat. This one has a similar pattern, which makes me think that one in the picture might be younger. You can also see a similar pattern on a hatchling here, and the coloration on the top right picture here looks identical to the second picture you posted. The head shape is also very similar.
 
Thanks Suzy! I had only found pics of stripey Everglades rats...

What does everybody else think?
 
I dunno... given his size, he definitely looks like an adult. It could be a 'Glades rat that just kept some of the saddles instead of going stripey. I'm sure Kathy would be able to provide an excellent answer.
 
I agree with Suzy and Robbie. The wide puffy jaws look kind of funny though, like he has the mumps.
As far as girth goes, he/she looks much more nearer to what exists in the wild than CB snakes. I.e., more exercise, less eating. (The opposite of sedentary.)
I have caught at least one large cottonmouth, years ago, with a texas rat tail hanging out of his mouth. Looks like the corn is keeping his distance, huh?
 
The puffy jaw looks more to me like some disease process rather than a natural condition of that snake.
 
ratsncorns said:
Why were they housing a rat snake and cottonmouth together?
Click to expand...

No idea. Most were separated by region. I asked about a couple display pairings and the tour guide claimed they worked because one species was arboreal while the other was ground dwelling. I don't think any others were in danger of being eaten though...
 
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