Where Do Green Rat Snakes Live?

Video Transcript

"Snakes. Just the word strikes fear in a lot of people's hearts. But what many people don't realize is snakes are an incredibly important part of the ecosystem. They help control a lot of the pests species, especially important to farmers who are raising vegetables for food. I'm Janice Creneti. I've been teaching animal science and environmental science for about twenty years. And I'm here to answer the question, where do green rat snakes live? Well first of all let's talk about rat snakes in general. Rat snakes are a very common snake species and they're very prolific. They're found all over the United States. This particular species, the green rat snake tends to be something that's found more in desert areas. Your rat snakes are non-venomous. That means that they don't inject venom when they bite you. They have another method of killing their prey which is what we call constriction. So they'll take that large mouth, they'll grab onto a mouse or a small rabbit, wrap their body around the animal and squeeze it till it suffocates. Then they swallow it in one whole bite. It can take a snake even a week, sometimes longer, to digest a meal. Rat snakes do sometimes climb in trees, but mostly you're going to find them on the ground. If it's a warm sunny day, you might particularly find them sunning themselves on a rock. Snakes are reptiles, they're cold blooded, and that means that they have to get their heat from the environment. They don't generate it themselves like people do. And so, when they need to warm up a little bit, they'll sunbathe on a rock. When they get a little too hot, they'll crawl into the shade, let some of that heat release itself. They're beautiful animals, they're not venomous, they're very healthy for the environment. But, like any wild animal, it's important to watch them from a distance and let them have their space. I'm Janice Creneti, and this is where do green rat snakes live?"