2. Rat snakes (Panterophis genus)
There are many rat snake species throughout the world, once belonging to the same genus (Elaphe), but newer researches have shown that New World and Old World rat snakes actually differ genetically more than previously thought, and thus the American rat snakes have been reclassified into Panterophis genus. The range of these snakes is from Central America to the southern parts of Canada. Since there are many rat snake species, they physically differ a lot, but they are generally rather long snakes. American rat snakes include corn snakes (often being kept as pets), Texas rat snake, yellow rat snake, etc. among which the black or the western rat snake is most widely dispersed. They are a non-venomous constrictor snake, which means they squeeze their prey until it suffocates.
