Description
Adults can become quite large, with a reported typical length of 106.5–183 cm (3 ft 6 in–6 ft 0 in). They are the largest snake found in Canada. The record length is 256.5 cm (8 ft 5 in), making it (officially) the longest snake in North America. Unofficially, indigo snakes (Drymarchon couperi) are known to exceed them, and one wild-caught pine snake (Pituophis melanoleucus), with a portion of its tail missing, measured 111 inches (2.8 m). The body mass of this rat snake is commonly 1.6 to 2.2 kg (3.5 to 4.9 lb) in adults.
Juveniles are strongly patterned with brown blotches on a gray background (like miniature fox snakes). Darkening occurs rapidly as they grow. Adults are glossy black above with white lips, chin, and throat. Sometimes traces of the "obsolete" juvenile pattern are still discernible in the skin between the scales, especially when stretched after a heavy meal.
Read more about this topic: Pantherophis Obsoletus
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