Thats a really cool pic, Wayne. Thanks for sharing.

TRUE Yellow Ratsnakes are limited to Florida and the southeast Georgia coast. There is a naturally-occuring intergrade(cross-breed)between the Yellow Rat(Elaphe quadrivitatae)and the Black Rat(Elaphe obsoletta)which is found in much of the coastal plains area of Georgia and the Carolinas, often dubbed the "Greenish Rat", because in many cases it IS an olive green in coloration. Some have a visable blotched pattern as adults, like juvie Black Rats, while others have the vertical stripes, like the Yellow, or a combination of both. Some are quite yellowish, though nowhere near a bright a yellow as a true Yellow Rat. Many people do erronously call those "Yellow Ratsnakes", though. As for their temperament when caught, this varies a great deal from snake to snake, so it's not fair to generalize by calling them "nasty". I've caught several "Greenish Rats", BIG suckers, which would not so much as think about striking. I've picked up seven-footers that I could just drape around my neck and carry to the car, and they were as calm and gentle as can be, while I've picked up smaller ones that were little terrors(or thought that they were, anyway)! Usually, the smaller the snake, the more defensive it is, since it's on the menu of more carnivores at that size. I've sorted through boxes of freshly wild-caught true Yellows from Lake Okeechobee in Florida(the Yellow Rats there are really bright yellow)and been able to stroke the heads of some individuals in the box, like petting a puppy, while the snake next to it was vibrating its tail and striking like a Racer at me, which goes to show how each snake is different, much like people. Sharon McKenzie

I could tell you got one by the message on my machine the night of return, even though only the last couple of words came through. Can't wait to see more pictures, although don't you know that you can find pales in northern Jackson county, MO, where they intergrade with syspila? In northwestern Jackson, you can find syspila/gentilis/multistriata that blow the common multistriata out of the water -- long live Marshall. May this week's adventure be so successful... oh me oh my am I excited.

By drought, I meant a drought in sightings rather than dry weather, although dry weather does make snake finding more difficult. It has been hot which also works against finding snakes in abundance. I just need to look after dark. I have seen over 300 snakes this year, just none in the last month. Here are my totals to date: My snake totals so far for 2005: 345 snakes, 20 species [24 subspecies]: 191 Prairie Ringneck Snakes, 26 Common Garter Snakes (25 Eastern/Red-Sided Intergrade, 1 Red-Sided), 23 Lined Snakes, 22 Eastern Yellowbelly Racers, 15 Northern Water Snakes, 12 Milk Snakes (7 Central Plains, 3 Red/Central Plains Intergrade, 2 Red), 9 Midland Brown Snakes, 8 Osage Copperheads, 8 Prairie Rattlesnakes, 8 Western Ribbon Snakes, 6 Great Plains Rat Snakes, 4 Black Rat Snakes, 3 Blotched Water Snakes, 3 Common Kingsnakes (2 Speckled/Desert Intergrade, 1 Speckled), 2 Flatheaded Snakes , 1 Northern Redbelly Snake (red phase), 1 Timber Rattlesnake (Western phase), 1 Eastern Hognose Snake, 1 Western Worm Snake, 1 Western Plains Garter Snake