Black rat snake

The black rat snake is one of five different species of snakes in the genus Elaphe. It's also known as pilot snake or common rat snake. It is black as the name indicates except its chine, which is white. It is normal size and non venomous.The Black rat snake is great swimmer and climber so they can run away or find prey easily. They're not completely dark when they are born but getting darker as they grow. They hide when they confront bigger animal or human and they hide but if they keep bother the snake they will attack.

Anatomy
Most snakes are legless but they can move very fast by crawling. It has no ear so they can't hear but they can sense by their system. And it has no eyelid so they keep opening their eyes everyday but they can sleep although it's open. They don't even have jaw so they can swallow very large prey. They need to digest it and it takes long time although it is depends on how big the prey is of the prey. They can find of prey by motionsense system. They feel the temperature. The snake has one heart, two lungs( right and left), one liver, one stomach, gall bladder, two intestine and etc.

Reproduction
When the male snake tries to approach to female snake it attracts her in their way. Some male hold female with mouth so the female cannot runaway .The mating can take from few minutes to few hours. Five weeks later, the female lays more than 10 but less than 20 eggs in safe area. Normally Between March and May the baby snake come out from the shell 65 ~ 70 days later. The biggest black rat snakes that have seen is eight feet but it's special case.

Ecology
People found the black rat snake in the North America. They spend winter alone, also they don't even try to meet other species and they spend most time in the area that other species are not. They spend lots of times on tree for hiding and catching the prey, they can climb about 40 feet high. The black rat snake is diurnal, although it's hot but they also move at night. Usually young rat snakes eats mice or small prey but as the snake grows they eat larger mice or even other snake. The snake kills their prey by suffocating like anaconda.The black rat snake is rodent eater. Young black rat snake eats little mice, lizard, birds eggs and sometimes frog. For the adult they usually eat mice, moles, squirrel and other rodents. The black rat snake eats birds eggs because the snake spend most of time on trees.

Range and Habitat
The Black Rat Snake lives many places than normal snakes. From southeastern Minnesota to northern Louisiana and east to the eastern seaboard. Also there are many in Iowa. Usually, they live in deep wooded area but normally Iowa snakes doesn't live there except this.