A person told me that 95% of all snakes in Texas are rat snakes...Is that true?

Question

A person told me that 95% of all snakes in Texas are rat snakes...Is that true?

Answer 1

OK, Texas has about 72 species of snake, including 4 species of Rat Snakes, the Bullsnake, 5 Gartersnakes, and several other common snakes like Ring-neck Snakes.

While I am not sure the actual population density, I suspect that most of the snakes in Texas are Gartersnakes, followed by Bullsnakes and Ring-necks, then Rats, Kings, etc.

Now- to claim that for every 100 snakes you find, 95 of them will be Rat Snakes is absurd. Anyone who has hunted snakes in Texas can attest that in most places, the mixture will be more varied. Sure- there are places where Rat Snakes are very common, but not throughout the entire state.

Answer 2

actualy that is false. there are also

rattlers

cottonmouths

garden

dessert

fork-tongued

etc

Answer 3

I doubt it. There are too many different kinds of snakes to have that high a percentage of one specific species. Almost all snakes will EAT rats, if they're big enough. That doesn't make them rat snakes.

Answer 4

No, but I'd say Texas rat snakes are the most common large snake in the state. I spend alot of time outdoors photographing snakes and I'd say the most comon snake in the state is the rough earth snake. Other very common snakes I see alot of are Texas brown snakes, diamondback water snakes, blotched water snakes, and broadbanded copperheads. Of course, it depends on what part of the state you're in. I'm in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Other common ones are yellowbellied racers, ribbon snakes, and rough green snakes. Great Plains rat snakes are fairly common too. I've never seen a live garter snake in this area. They seem to be more common in the northern states. But like I said, Texas rat snakes are probably the most common snake you'll see over 4 feet in length.

Answer 5

No, there are MANY species of snakes in Texas. Six or seven of these are rat snakes.

There is no such thing as a dessert snake, garden snake, or fork-tongue snake. How ridiculous!