Home › Volumes › Reptiles › Snakes
Blacksnake
Colouration.—Adult specimens are uniform, slaty black above and beneath--the chin and throat milky-white.
Dimensions.—A very large Blacksnake is about six feet long. The dimensions given are from a fine specimen, taken in Westchester County, New York:
Distribution.—The typical Blacksnake is found in eastern North America, from southern Canada, southward throughout Florida and westward to the prairie regions (not inclusive) of the United States. It is a generally abundant reptile. Westward of the Mississippi the typical form is replaced by a distinct colour variety--the "Blue" Racer.
Form moderately slender; tail very long. Head but moderately distinct from the neck; the eyes large. Scales smooth and satiny.
The amount of white upon the chin and throat differs considerably with individuals. It exists to the greater extent on specimens from the Southern States, extending some distance along the throat and covering a considerable portion of the upper lip plates. On specimens from Connecticut, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, the white is usually confined to the chin, and in some instances is to be seen on only a few of the chin plates.
Colouration of the Young.--The young of this species are strikingly different from the parent. They are pale gray above, with a series of large, brownish blotches on the back and numerous black spots on the sides. During their second summer they grow darker and the pattern becomes obscure. In their third summer they acquire the uniform, shiny black of the parent.
Description of a Young Specimen
Pale gray above, becoming whitish on the sides. On the back is a series of large, grayish-brown saddles, which are considerably larger on the forward portion of the body; toward the tail they become narrower and indistinct, owing to the darker hue of the tail. The forward third of the body is profusely spotted with black on the sides and at the edges of the abdominal plates; the abdomen is pale gray. The head is pale, with dark spots and blotches; the eyes are very large. At the time it was described, this specimen was three weeks old; it was twelve and a half inches long and hatched from a litter of ten eggs, collected in Plymouth County, Connecticut.
A specimen about ten inches long, from Marion County, Florida, is pale gray, with dark brown saddles on the back. There are numerous brick-red spots on the edges and centres of the abdominal plates.
Another specimen from Florida, twenty inches long, and presumably about nine months old, is dark gray on the forward third of the body, with distinct, blackish blotches. The posterior two-thirds of the body is very dark and the blotches are invisible.
Young specimens resemble partially grown individuals of the Milk Snake (Ophibolus doliatus triangulus), but may be told from the latter by their very large eyes and the absence of black markings on the abdomen, arranged in tessellated fashion.
Variations.--A distinct variety is recognised and described under a separate head.
Total Length . . . . . 5 feet 9 inches.
Length of Tail . . . . . 17 1/2 inches.
Greatest Diameter . . . . . 1 1/8 inches.
Width of Head . . . . . 15/16 inches.
Length of Head . . . . . 1 5/8 inches.
Habits of the Blacksnake
The Blacksnake is a much overrated reptile--the alleged sworn enemy of the rattlesnake, all-around boss among serpents generally, and a demon in temper. This species is generally described as going considerably out of its way to pick fights with mankind and displaying sufficient strength during these combats to squeeze an arm or limb into a condition approaching insensibility. Besides possessing these formidable habits, the Blacksnake is also described as exhibiting the power of fascinating birds and squirrels--drawing these weak creatures by hypnotic power to within reach of its jaws, when they are enveloped in a crushing embrace.
All this, unfortunately for the writer of romantic snake stories, must be exploded. The Blacksnake has no interest in the rattlesnake or any snake of his size. His only interest in snakes inclines toward individuals much smaller than himself: for his appetite is frequently of a cannibalistic nature. As for going out of his way in a demonstration appealing to man-kind, it must be explained that part of the statement is true. The snake goes considerably out of his way and usually with a dash like an arrow--but the purpose of such quick movements is to place as much distance between the snake and member of the human race as possible. The Blacksnake is no coward if cornered, and fight be necessary, but few snakes will "pick up and git" with the alacrity and speed of this terrestrial rocket, if escape be possible. Concerning the snake's powers of hypnotism or "charming" suffice it to say that there are none. And last, but by no means of least importance, is the fact that the Blacksnake, in spite of all the stories of its strength, is not a constrictor and has no power to squeeze its prey to death. It feeds upon prey quite small in proportion to the reptile's size, and swallows the quarry while it is struggling. If the animal be very vigorous, the snake presses it firmly to the ground under a portion of the body, deglutition proceeding at the same time.