13/04/2020
The Black Rat Snake is West Virginia’s longest reptile and can grow up to around 6ft long. They’re very abundant and are probably the snake you’ve seen a majority of your life while strolling through the woods or maybe even hanging out in your garage. While they may look menacing, they are not.
These snakes are a very important species in West Virginia’s ecosystem because they’re the top of the food chain. They primarily eat eggs and mice but the most important aspect of their diet is that they eat smaller snakes including the copperhead which is the only venomous snake in the Huntington area.
Another interesting fact about this snake is that despite being the largest snake in West Virginia, they’re arboreal. This means they live a majority of their life off the ground and can regularly be found in trees and less often but still frequent the rafters in your shed or barn.
These snakes are a great example of the stigma surrounding reptilian species. While big and tough, they’re soft and gentle and would rather just be left alone.
