Pantherophis bairdi
Silhouette: Alex Slavenko · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~60%
Pantherophis bairdi is a species of harmless snake in the family Colubridae. The species is native to the southwestern United States and adjacent northeastern Mexico. No subspecies are recognized as being valid. P. bairdi is found in the United States in the Big Bend region of western Texas, as well as in northern Mexico in the Mexican states of Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas. It is known to be elusive and hard to find in the wild.
P. bairdi prefers semi-arid, rocky habitats. The specific name, bairdi, as well as several of the common names, are in honor of American zoologist Spencer Fullerton Baird. Common names include: Baird's rat snake, Baird's ratsnake, Baird's pilot snake, Baird's Coluber, and Great Bend rat snake.
Adults of P. bairdi may reach 64 to 140 cm (25 to 55 in) in total length (including tail). The dorsal color pattern consists of an orange-yellow to bright yellow, or a darker salmon ground color, overlaid with four stripes that run from the neck to the tail. The belly is generally gray to yellow, darkening near the tail.
The primary diet of P. bairdi consists of... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Big Bend National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Cumbres de Monterrey National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Caldwell Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Siam Serpentarium | 🇹🇭 Thailand |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Baird's Ratsnake sighting in Cumbres de Monterrey National Park on a given day, based on 49 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 10th most-seen of the 43 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April, June and September
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Baird's Ratsnake in Cumbres de Monterrey National Park on a given day, against about 10% in May, July–August and October–March, the lowest months. Those are among Cumbres de Monterrey National Park's wettest months, with about 150 mm of rain a month against 20 mm in December.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Baird's Ratsnake sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
2nd of 2
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Baird's Ratsnake sightings, Cumbres de Monterrey National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%. The best odds are in Big Bend National Park (United States, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Baird's Ratsnake is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Cumbres de Monterrey National Park (49 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
