Pantherophis obsoletus
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
Pantherophis obsoletus, also known commonly as the western rat snake, black rat snake (not to be confused with Pantherophis alleghaniensis), pilot black snake, or simply black snake, is a nonvenomous species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is native to central North America west of the Mississippi River. No subspecies are recognized as being valid. Its color variations include the Texas rat snake. Along with other snakes of the eastern United States, like the eastern indigo snake (Drymarchon couperi) and the eastern racer (Coluber constrictor), it is called "black snake".
Pantherophis obsoletus is found west of the Mississippi River, from eastern and southern Iowa southward through Missouri and Arkansas to western Louisiana, westward to eastern Texas, northward through Oklahoma and eastern Kansas to southeastern Nebraska.
Aside from the usual variety that is black or has patches of black on a lighter background, color variations include the Texas rat snake, which is a brown-to-black variant, often with tinges of orange or red, that can be found in southern Oklahoma, Texas, and Louisiana.
Rat snakes of the genus Pantherophis are primarily... Wikipedia →
Recording0:13
United States · 2025
© miraclebennett · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
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United States · 2024
© jaypotken · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
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United States · 2021
© Richard Hasegawa · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Austin | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | San Antonio | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Dallas | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Houston | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Abilene Zoological Gardens | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Ecomuseum Zoo | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 4 | Columbus Zoo and Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | The Maryland Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Louisville Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Kyiv Zoo | 🇺🇦 Ukraine | |
| 8 | Caldwell Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Wrocław Zoological Garden | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 10 | Dickerson Park Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 11 | Houston Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 12 | Cameron Park Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 13 | Rio de Janeiro Zoological Garden | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 14 | The Abilene Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 15 | Henry Vilas Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 16 | Elmwood Park Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 17 | Turtle Bay Exploration Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 18 | Macau Zoo | 🇲🇴 Macao SAR China | |
| 19 | Texas Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 20 | Florida Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 21 | Wonders of Wildlife Museum & Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 22 | Zoo Samara | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 23 | Africarium | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 24 | Children's Aquarium at Fair Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 25 | Schramm Education Center | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 26 | Reptiland | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 27 | Shreveport Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 28 | terrarium ogrodu zoologicznego we Wrocławiu | 🇵🇱 Poland |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Western Rat Snake sighting in Dallas on a given day, based on 175 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 12th most-seen of the 33 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Western Rat Snake in Dallas on a given day, against under 5% in December to February, the lowest months. That is one of Dallas's wettest months, with about 120 mm of rain against 55 mm in July.
3rd of 4
Of the 4 cities where we can rate Western Rat Snake sightings, Dallas ranks 3rd at about 10%. The best odds are in Austin (United States, about 30%) and San Antonio (United States, about 10%).
Same family: Colubridae
The closest relatives of the Western Rat Snake that you can see in Dallas (family Colubridae, Colubrid Snakes) are Rough Earthsnake (about 20%), Plain-bellied Water Snake (about 20%) and Diamondback Watersnake (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Western Rat Snake is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Dallas (175 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
