HARMLESS. One of the largest snakes in Kansas, the Western Ratsnake is distinguished by keeled dorsal scales, a divided anal plate, and a generally uniform dark brown to black coloration on the head, body, and tail. Some adults retain faint dorsal blotches, while individuals in south-central Kansas may show a distinctly blotched pattern. Adults often reveal extensive red, white, or, occasionally, yellow pigment in the interstitial skin between the scales. The venter is cream to yellowish-white, usually overlaid with large, diffuse dark blotches and often exhibiting an overall yellow to reddish wash.
Juveniles are patterned much like Great Plains Ratsnakes and, to a lesser extent, Prairie Kingsnakes, but their markings change as they mature. In young Western Ratsnakes, the dorsal blotches are longer than wide and frequently have small pointed extensions projecting toward the head and tail from each corner. In contrast, blotches on Great Plains Ratsnakes and Prairie Kingsnakes are typically wider than long and outlined with darker margins. The ground color of juvenile Western Ratsnakes is gray, with dark brown blotches, whereas the ground color of Great Plains Ratsnakes and Prairie Kingsnakes is tan to brown, with brown blotches. Western Ratsnakes begin to darken noticeably during their third year, gradually losing the juvenile pattern until reaching the uniform adult coloration.
The degree of dorsal darkening varies from completely black individuals throughout most of the state to faintly blotched specimens in south-central Kansas (Miller, 1986; Irwin et al., 1992). Adult males have slightly longer tails and grow larger than females.
Adults normally grow 106.7-183.0 cm (42-72 inches) in total length. The largest specimen from Kansas is a male (KU 216168) from Jefferson County with a total length of 191.2 cm (751⁄8 inches) and a weight of 1,729 grams (3 pounds, 13 ounces), collected by Roger Christie on 9 July 1990. The maximum length throughout the range is 218.4 cm (8549⁄50 inches) (Boundy, 1995; Powell et al., 2016).
Widely distributed in the more forested eastern half of the state, it is found along riparian corridors on the western edge of its range. They are commonly found in abandoned buildings and barns and are often the most common large snake in suburban areas.
Gloyd (1928) and Fitch (1956, 1958, 1963) studied this snake in eastern Kansas. The Western Ratsnake generally inhabits forested areas, particularly the rocky hillsides of open woodlands. Along the western edge of its range, it frequents the wooded areas of streams and rivers. These snakes are active from late March to November at air temperatures of 60-88°F. Like many other snakes, this species is primarily active by day during spring and fall but becomes more nocturnal during the hot summer. Western Ratsnakes have home ranges of 10.1 to 12,1 hectares (25-30 acres); they prowl these regions, frequently climbing trees in search of food. Schmidt (1941) stated that Gloyd observed them 3 to 9.1 meters (10 to 30 feet ) above the ground among the branches of trees. Population density is approximately one snake per three acres.
During fall, the Western Ratsnake retreats to den sites on rocky, wooded hillsides, which it may share with many other kinds of snakes. It spends the winter months in burrows on these hillsides, avoiding cold temperatures. Miller (1977) reported an adult example of this snake active on 9 February in Sumner County; the day was warm and sunny. During an unseasonably mild spell, Capron (1986) observed Western Ratsnakes active in January and February near Oxford.
The Western Ratsnake usually mates in spring, but occasional unions may occur throughout the annual activity period. Gillingham (1979) reported a three-phase courtship behavior similar to that of the Great Plains Western Ratsnake (see preceding account), except that male Western Ratsnakes may bite females prior to copulation. The eggs, which range from 6 to 44 per clutch (Fitch, 1985), are laid beneath or within logs, or in moist soil under rocks, during June or July. The eggs hatch in one to two months.
Western Ratsnakes constrict their prey and feed on frogs, lizards, snakes, bird eggs, birds, rodents, and rabbits. Henderson (1974) recorded Douglas County examples of this snake eating frogs, birds, and small mammals. Plummer (1977) reported heavy predation by this snake on bank swallows ·along the Kansas River in the same county. This snake frequently robs bird nests and provokes heckling by concentrations of birds. Blue Jays have been known to attack Western Ratsnakes during nest robbing. Linsdale (1925) reported predation of a Blue Jay nest on 11 July 1923. Cary et al. (1981) reported predation on a bat in Texas County, Missouri. Juveniles eat small frogs, lizards, and small rodents. They are adept climbers. William L. Hoyle discovered a moderate-sized specimen in the cupola of a barn near Grenola (Elk County), Kansas, on 29 July 1933 that was consuming the eggs of an English Sparrow (Burt and Hoyle, 1935). Upon subsequent dissection, it was determined that the adult female English Sparrow had been consumed at the same time.
Hawks are the main predator of the Western Ratsnake in Kansas, though it is preyed upon by mammals and other snakes as well (Collins, 1993). Hawks, in particular, easily locate this snake when it is being heckled by other birds during nest raiding. Capron (1985) recorded 53 of these snakes killed by swathing (mowing) machines during agricultural harvests from May to mid-July in southern Kansas.
This was the first species of amphibian or reptile documented in what we can be sure was Kansas (but, in an unfortunate twist of politics, that all changed) (Taggart 2021).
Thomas Say (1823) described the type specimen of the Western Ratsnake from Isle au Vache (Cow Island), Kansas (a heavily forested island on the Missouri River). His type locality stretches from NE Kansas to western Iowa. Say wrote... "It is not an uncommon species on the Missouri from the vicinity of Isle au Vache to Council Bluff.".
Cow Island was the site of Cantonment Martin, a military camp established as a supply base for Major Stephen H. Long’s engineering expedition of 1819-20, of which Say served as the naturalist. This expedition set out to survey the Rocky Mountains and the major tributaries of the Missouri River.
A flood in 1881 shifted the main channel of the Missouri River west, and Cow Island became connected to the Missouri side. For several years, both Kansas and Missouri claimed Cow Island, and the dispute was ultimately settled in 1890 when a court ruled that a boundary would change with the gradual movement of a natural boundary (accretion), but not due to a sudden change (avulsion). Therefore, the land still belonged to Kansas and would for most of the next 60 years.
The Kansas, Missouri, and the US Congress ratified the Kansas-Missouri Boundary compact in 1949, which set the boundary at the center of the current channel of the Missouri River (which by then had been dredged, leveed, and straightened so as to become effectively fixed)... and Kansas lost its first type locality.
The oldest existing specimen is in the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM 4228) and was collected in 1886 (no other associated data).
This species exhibits an ontogenetic color shift as it matures. Newborn individuals are light gray with well-defined dark blotches. In their second year, the pattern begins to be obscured as the snake transitions to an overall dark animal.
Specimens from the southwestern portion of its range in the state show a tendency to retain more of their blotched pattern as adults (Miller, 1986; Irwin et al., 1992).
Based on the congruence of morphological (Burbrink, 2001, Herpetol. Monogr. 15: 1–53) and mitochondrial data (Burbrink et al., 2000, Evolution 54: 2107–2118), Burbrink divided P. obsoletus into three species (P. alleghaniensis, P. obsoletus and P. spiloides) with no subspecies. Burbrink (2020) further supported the recognition of P. obsoletus as a taxon distinct from P. alleghaniensis and P. spiloides), but see Hillis and Wuster (2021). While not affecting P. obsoletus (and therefore those populations in Kansas), Burbrink (2021) noted that P. alleghaniensis should actually apply to the middle lineage (geographically, east of the Mississippi River and west of the Appalachians and Flint/Apalachicola rivers), and the oldest available name for the eastern lineage is P. quadrivittatus.
Hillis (2022) further debated the status (specific vs. subspecific) of the Pantherophis obsoletus complex across eastern North America. He argued specifically that Burbrink et al. (2020) demonstrated a wide intergrade zone with no apparent breaks due to reproductive/genetic barriers between their putative P. alleghaniensis, P. quadrivittatus, and P. obsoletus. There is no standard measure as to what point a hybrid/intergrade zone becomes sufficiently wide to determine if the two (or more) constituent populations are species or 'subspecies'. Nor should there be, as doing so would denigrate the delineation of real species to an arbitrary class threshold (Frost and Hillis, 1990). Hillis (2022) further argues that the reasoning (in part) invoked by Burbrink et al. (2021) for elevating P. alleghaniensis, P. quadrivittatus, and P. obsoletus; (specifically that as P. bairdi and P. obsoletus shares a more recent common ancestor with each other than either does with P. alleghaniensis or P. quadrivittatus; recognizing P. bairdi and the remaining taxa as subspecies of P. obsoletus, would render P. obsoletus paraphyletic) is likely due to hybridization. However, all phylogenetic hypotheses are generated from gene data and as such are subject to being misled by xenologous/paralogous relationships of those genes with respect to the true phylogeny (which is unknowable).
Utiger et al. (2002, Russian J. Herpetol. 9: 105–124) used molecular data to divide Elaphe into eight genera. New World Elaphe are part of a clade distinct from Old World species, for which Pantherophis Fitzinger, 1843, was resurrected as the oldest available name. Further splitting of Pantherophis has been proposed (Collins and Taggart, 2008).
On the map (Carte itinéraire de Prince Maximilian de Wied dans l'intérieur de l'Amérique septentrionale de Boston à Missouri supérieur & amp;c. en 1832, 33 et 34) accompanying the report of Prince Maximilian zu Wied's explorations in North America, the area of Doniphan County, north and west of Wathena, is labeled "Wa-con-se-nac or Black Snake Hills".
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Collins, Joseph T. 1996. New records of amphibians and reptiles in Kansas for 1995. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (103):13-15.
Miller, Larry L. 1996. Results of the KHS 1995 fall field trip. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (103):3.
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Rundquist, Eric M. 1996. Notes on the natural history of some Kansas amphibians and reptiles: Parasites. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (105):16-17.
Miller, Larry L. 1996. Third graders conduct amphibian and reptile field study. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (106):15.
Miller, Larry L. 1996. Many amphibian and reptile species identified during KHS 1996 fall field trip to Wabaunsee County. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (106):2-3.
Rakestraw, J. 1996. Spring herp counts: A Kansas tradition. Reptile & Amphibian Magazine (March-April):75-80.
Dundee, Harold A. 1996. Some reallocations of type localities of reptiles and amphibians described from the Major Stephen H. Long Expedition to the Rocky Mountains, with comments on some of the statements made in the account written by Edwin James. Tulane Studies in Zoology and Botany 30:75–89.
Shoup, J. Mark. 1996. Wise as serpents. Kansas Wildlife and Parks 53(4):39.
Prior, Kent A. 1997. Conservation biology of Black Rat Snakes: Ecological, demographic, and genetic approaches. Dissertation. Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario. 211 pp.
Simmons, John E. 1997. Report on a clutch of rat snake eggs (Elaphe obsoleta) from Kansas. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (108):10-11.
Rundquist, Eric M. 1997. Results of the ninth annual KHS herp counts held 1 April-31 May 1997. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (108):12-17.
Rundquist, Eric M. 1997. Addendum to 1997 KHS herp counts. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (109):14-15.
Collins, Joseph T. 1997. A report on the KHS fall field trip to the Marais des Cygnes wildlife refuges. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (110):2-3.
Conant, Roger and Joseph T. Collins. 1998. Peterson Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America. 3rd ed, expanded. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, Massachusetts.
Powell, Robert, Joseph T Collins, and Errol D Hooper Jr. 1998. A Key to Amphibians & Reptiles of the Continental United States and Canada. Univ Press of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas. 131 pp.
Gamble, Jerre. 1998. Marais des Cygnes National Wildlife Refuge Comprehensive Conservation Plan. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Hartford, Kansas. 91 pp.
Rundquist, Eric M. 1998. Results of the tenth annual KHS herp counts for 1998, held 1 April-31 May. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (112):11-18.
Collins, Joseph T. 1998. Results of the KHS silver anniversary fall field trip. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (114):6-.
Lardie, Richard L. 1999. The subspecific status and western distribution of the Eastern Rat Snake, Elaphe obsoleta, in Oklahoma. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (115):16-17.
Rundquist, Eric M. 1999. Kansas Herpetological Society herp counts: A 10 year summary and evaluation. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (115):42962.
Taggart, Travis W. 1999. Cherokee County fall 1999 herp count. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (117):6.
Burbrink, Frank T. 2000. Systematics of the polymorphic North American rat snake (Elaphe obsoleta). Dissertation. Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge. 202 pp.
Fitch, Henry S. 2000. Population structure and biomass of some common snakes in central North America. Scientific Papers of the Natural History Museum, University of Kansas (17):1-7.
Rundquist, Eric M. 2000. Results of the eleventh and twelfth annual KHS herpetofaunal counts for 1999-2000, held 1 April-31 May. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (122):11-16.
Taggart, Travis W. 2000. Results of the KHS 2000 fall field trip. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (122):6-8.
Burbrink, Frank T., Robin Lawson, and Joseph B. Slowinski. 2000. Mitochondrial DNA phylogeography of the polytypic North American Rat Snake (Elaphe obsoleta): A critique of the subspecies concept. Evolution 54:2107-2118.
Johnson, Richard W. 2001. Spatial ecology of the Eastern Coachwhip (Masticophis flagellum flagellum) in and eastern Texas upland community. Thesis. Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches, Texas. 54 pp.
Taggart, Travis W. 2001. The KHS 2001 spring field trip: A rainy rendezvous. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (124):12-14.
Collins, Joseph T. 2001. New records of amphibians and reptiles in Kansas for 2000. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (124):6-8.
Rundquist, Eric M. 2001. Results of the thirteenth annual KHS herp counts for 2001, held 1 April-30 June. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (125):13-16.
Burbrink, Frank T. 2001. Systematics of the Eastern Rat Snake complex (Elaphe obsoleta). Herpetological Monographs 15:1-53.
Prior, Kent A., Gabriel Blouin-Demers, and Patrick J. Weatherhead. 2001. Sampling biases in demographic analysis of Black Rat Snakes (Elaphe obsoleta). Herpetologica 57(4):460-469.
Kingsbury, Bruce and Joanna Gibson. 2002. Habitat Management Guidelines for Amphibians and Reptiles of the Midwest. Publication of Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, Address not given. 152 pp.
Fogell, Daniel D. 2002. Occurrence and relative abundance of amphibians and reptiles at
Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, Homestead National Monument of
America, and Pipestone National Monument within the Heartland Inventory
and Monitoring Network. Interim Report. National Park Service, Washington, D.C.. 6 pp.
Riedle, J. Daren and A. Hynek. 2002. Amphibian and reptile inventory of the Kansas Army Ammunition Plant, Labette County, Kansas. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (2):18-20.
Ellis, Mark R. 2002. Fall 2002 KHS field trip to Washington County. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (2):4-5.
Taggart, Travis W. 2002. Results of the KHS 2002 fall field Trip. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (4):11-13.
Miller, Larry L. 2002. Shawnee County herp count. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (4):15.
Utiger, Urs, Notker Helfenberger, Beat Schatti, Catherine Schmidt, Markus Ruf, and Vincent Ziswiler. 2002. Molecular systematics and phylogeny of Old and New World Ratsnakes, Elaphe AUCT., and related genera (Reptilia, Squamata, Colubridae). Russian Journal of Herpetology 9(2):105-124.
Freeman, Craig C. 2003. A natural areas inventory of the Ft. Leavenworth Military Reservation, Leavenworth County, Kansas. II. Open-file Report No. 117. Kansas Biological Survey, Lawrence, Kansas. 199 pp.
Fogell, Daniel D. 2003. A herpetofaunal inventory of Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, Homestead National Monument of America, and Pipestone National Monument within the Heartland Inventory
and Monitoring Network. National Park Service, Washington, D.C.. 59 pp.
Suleiman, G. 2003. Fort Riley herpetofaunal count. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (5):11-12.
Platt, Dwight R. 2003. Lizards and snakes (Order Squamata) of Harvey County, Kansas. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (6):13-20.
Fitch, Henry S. 2003. Reproduction in snakes of the Fitch Natural History Reservation in northeastern Kansas. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (6):21-24.
Taggart, Travis W. 2003. Results of the 2003 KHS spring field trip to Wilson County. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (6):2-5.
Miller, Larry L. 2003. Sumner County herp count. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (7):10.
Miller, Larry L. and Suzanne L. Miller. 2003. Wakarusa herp count. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (7):10.
Burr, Andrew. 2003. Coffey County herp count 1. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (7):7.
Lokke, John L. and Jill Lokke. 2003. Cowley County herp count 2. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (7):8.
Miller, Larry L. 2003. Indian Creek herp count. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (7):9.
Suleiman, Gibran. 2003. Fort Riley herp count. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (7):9.
Fitch, Henry S., Scott Sharp, and Kylee Sharp. 2003. Snakes of the University of Kansas biotic succession area. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (8):20-21.
Pisani, George R. 2003. Elaphe o. obsoleta (Black Ratsnake) Escape behavior, habitat. Herpetological Review 34(1):66.
Lalley, M. L. 2004. Blood parasites of two species of rat snake (Elaphe spp.) from southeastern Nebraska and northeastern Kansas. Thesis. University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, Nebraska.
Lalley, Maggie L. 2004. Blood parasites of two species of rat snake (Elaphe spp.) from southeastern Nebraska and northeastern Kansas. Thesis. University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, Nebraska. 29 pp.
Fitch, Henry S. 2004. Food surplus and body size in local populations of snakes. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (10):14-16.
Collins, Joseph T. 2004. Marais des Cygnes herp count. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (11):11.
Ellis, Mark R. and Kathy Ellis. 2004. Wakarusa herp count. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (11):12.
Klug, Page. 2005. The effects of local grassland habitat and surrounding landscape compostion [sic] on the predators of grassland bird nests. Thesis. University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, Nebraska. 143 pp.
Taggart, Travis W. 2005. Results of the KHS 2005 fall field trip [to Crawford County]. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (16):19-21.
Taggart, Travis W. 2006. Distribution and status of Kansas herpetofauna in need of information. State Wildlife Grant T7. Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, Pratt. vii + 106 pp.
Wilgers, Dustin J., Eva A. Horne, Brett K. Sandercock, and Allan W. Volkmann. 2006. Effects of rangeland management on community dynamics of the herpetofauna of the tallgrass prairie. 62:378-388.
Mann, A. M. 2007. A Taxonomic Investigation of the Black Rat Snake, Elaphe o. obsoleta (Say) [Reptilia, Squamata, Colubridae], in West Virginia Using Morphometric Analyses. Thesis. Marshall University, Huntington, West Virginia. 101 pp.
Collins, Joseph T. and Travis W. Taggart. 2008. An alternative classification of the New World rat snakes (genus Pantherophis [Reptilia: Squamata: Colubridae]). Journal of Kansas Herpetology (26):16-18.
Pierce, Josh B., Robert R. Fleet, Lance McBrayer, and D. Craig Rudolph. 2008. Use of trees by the Texas Ratsnake (Elaphe obsoleta) in eastern Texas. Southeastern Naturalist 7(2):359-366.
Genoways, Hugh H. and Brett C. Ratcliffe. 2008. Engineer Cantonment, Missouri Territory, 1819-1820: America's first biodiversity inventory. Great Plains Research 18(Spring):3-31.
Murrow, Daniel G. 2009. KHS 2009 spring field trip. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (29):42769.
Collins, Joseph T., Suzanne L. Collins, and Travis W. Taggart. 2010. Amphibians, Reptiles, and Turtles of Kansas. Eagle Mountain Publishing., Provo, Utah. 400 pp.
Murrow, Daniel G. 2010. Kansas Herpetological Society spring field trip. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (33):2-3.
McMartin, David C. 2011. U. S. Army 2011 Fort Leavenworth Herpetofaunal Survey: 23 April - 09 May 2011. Privately printed, Leavenworth, Kansas. 33 pp.
Taggart, Travis W. 2011. Kansas Herpetological Society 2011 spring field trip to be held in Chautauqua County. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (37):5-7.
Taggart, Travis W. 2011. Results of the KHS Spring Field Trip to Chautauqua County. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (38):2-4.
McMartin, D. Chris. 2011. Herp Count: Fort Leavenworth Herpetofaunal Survey for 2011. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (39):8-9.
Houck, Mike. 2011. Fort Riley Herpetofaunal Survey for 2011. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (39):9.
Rohweder, Megan R. 2012. Spatial conservation prioritization of Kansas for terrestrial vertebrates. Thesis. Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas. 151 pp.
Powell, Robert, Joseph T Collins, and Errol D Hooper Jr. 2012. Key to the Herpetofauna of the Continental United States and Canada: Second Edition, Revised and Updated. Univ Press of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas. 152 pp.
Shew, Justin J., Brian D. Greene, and Francis E. Durbian. 2012. Spatial ecology and habitat use of the Western Foxsnake (Pantherophis vulpinus) on Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge (Missouri). Journal of Herpetology 46(4):539-548.
Miller, Larry L. 2013. Wellington Lake Herpetological Survey. Collinsorum 2(1/2):12.
Sinclair, Tom. 2013. A four-day spring snake count across northern Kansas. Collinsorum 2(1/2):9.
Taggart, Travis W. 2013. KHS 2012 Spring Field Trip to Bourbon County State Lake. Collinsorum 2(3/4):3.
Taggart, Travis W. 2013. KHS 2012 Fall Field Trip to Atchison County State Lake. Collinsorum 2(3/4):4.
Taggart, Travis W. 2013. KHS 2013 Spring Field Trip to Schermerhorn Park, Cherokee County. Collinsorum 2(3/4):4.
Taggart, Travis W. 2013. KHS 2013 Fall Field Trip to Butler County State Lake. Collinsorum 2(3/4):6.
Mardis, Dexter and Kevin Scott. 2013. 2013 Kansas Herpetofaunal Counts. Collinsorum 2(3/4):7.
Johnson, Stephen R. 2013. Half-time herping on one big prairie. Bulletin of the Chicago Herpetological Society 48(5):65-66.
Langford, Gabriel J. and John Janovy Jr. 2013. Host specificity of North American Rhabdias spp. (Nematoda: Rhabdiasidae): Combining field data and experimental infections with a molecular phylogeny. The Journal of Parasitology 99(2):277- 286.
McMartin, D. Chris. 2014. Fort Leavenworth Heretofaunal Survey for 2013. Collinsorum 3(1):10.
Taggart, Travis W. 2014. Results of the 2014 KHS Spring Field Trip to Barber County. Collinsorum 3(2-4):11.
Taggart, Travis W. 2014. Results of the 2014 KHS Fall Field Trip to Woodson County. Collinsorum 3(2-4):12.
Taggart, Travis W. 2014. Recent scientific and standard English name changes effecting the Kansas herpetofauna. Collinsorum 3(2-4):9-10.
Houck, Mike. 2015. 2015 Fort Riley Herpetofaunal Count final report. Collinsorum 4(1):10-11.
Taggart, Travis W. 2015. Summer Field Trip In The Harvey County Sandhills. Collinsorum 4(3):3.
Taggart, Travis W. 2015. Fall Field Trip Held In Washington County. Collinsorum 4(3):4.
George, Andrew D., F. R. Thompson III, and J. Faaborg. 2015. Isolating weather effects from seasonal activity patterns of a temperate North American Colubrid. Oecologia 178(4):1251–1259.
Pittman, Galen L., Henry S. Fitch, and W. Dean Kettle. 2016. Vertebrate animals on the Fitch Natural History Reservation (1948-2002). Kansas Biological Survey Report Number 188, Lawrence. 48 pp.
Powell, Robert, Roger Conant, and Joseph T. Collins. 2016. Peterson Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Boston. 494 pp.
Engelbert, Jared. 2016. Geographic distribution: Pantherophis obsoletus: Mitchell County, Kansas. Collinsorum 5(4):16.
Taggart, Travis W. 2016. Results of the KHS ‘Fall’ field trip to Barber County. Collinsorum 5(2-3):6-7.
Taggart, Travis W. and J. Daren Riedle. 2017. A Pocket Guide to
Kansas Amphibians,
Turtles and Lizards. Great Plains Nature Center, Wichita, Kansas. 69 pp.
Crother, Brian I. (editor). 2017. Scientific and Standard English Names of Amphibians and Reptiles of North America North of Mexico, with Comments Regarding Confidence in Our Understanding. Eighth edition. Herpetological Circulars (43):1-102.
Mardis, Dexter R. 2017. Results from three Herpetofaunal tallies at Wichita State University’s Youngmeyer Ranch in Northwestern
Elk County. Collinsorum 6(1):8-10.
George, Andrew D., G. M. Connette, F. R. Thompson III, and J. Faaborg. 2017. Resource selection by an ectothermic predator in a dynamic thermal landscape. Ecology and Evolution 7:9557–9566.
Chen, Xin, Alan R. Lemmon, Emily Moriarty Lemmon, R. Alexander Pyron, and Frank T. Burbrink. 2017. Using phylogenomics to understand the link between biogeographic origins and regional diversification in ratsnakes. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 111:206-218.
Houck, Mike. 2018. Herp Count: Fort Riley Military Installation. Collinsorum 7(1):17.
Powell, Robert, Joseph T Collins, and Errol D Hooper Jr. 2019. Key to the Herpetofauna of the Continental United States and Canada. Third Edition. Univ Press of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas. 192 pp.
Ferguson, Gary W., D. T. Roberts, R. Hartdegen, W. H. Gehrmann, L. A. Mitchell, and B. Lawrence. 2019. Seasonal activity and population fluctuations of a free-ranging population of the rat snake Pantherophis obsoletus inhabiting the Dallas Zoo, Texas. The Southwestern Naturalist 64(3/4):173-179.
Riedle, J. Daren. 2019. The truth about snakes. Kansas Wildlife and Parks Magazine July/August:18-21.
Daniel, Richard E. and Brian S. Edmond. 2020. Atlas of Missouri Amphibians and Reptiles for 2019. Privately printed, Columbia, Missouri. 86 pp.
Riedle, J. Daren. 2020. Revisiting Kansas Herpetological Society field trip and Herp Count data:
Distributional patterns and trend data of Kansas amphibians and reptiles. Collinsorum 9(1):7-16.
Hullinger, Allison, Zackary Cordes, Daren Riedle, and William Stark. 2020. Habitat assessment of the Broad-headed Skink (Plestiodon laticeps)
and the associated squamate community in eastern Kansas. Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 123(1-2):137-150.
Rader, Jennifer. 2020. Southeast Kansas Nature Center. Kansas Wildlife and Parks Magazine July-August:38-41.
Taggart, Travis W and Sarah L Taggart. 2021. Herp Count: Cherokee County: KHS-2020-02. Collinsorum 9(3):11-12.
Taggart, Travis W and Sarah L Taggart. 2021. Herp Count: Cherokee County: KHS-2020-03. Collinsorum 9(3):12.
Taggart, Travis W. 2021. On the type locality of Pantherophis obsoletus. Collinsorum 10(2):3-4.
Hillis, David and Wolfgang Wuster. 2021. Taxonomy and nomenclature of the
Pantherophis obsoletus complex. Herpetological Review 52(1):51–52.
Burbrink, Frank T., R. Alexander Pyron, Marcelo Gehara, Alexander D. McKelvy, and Edward A. Myers. 2021. The corrected taxonomic history of the North American
Ratsnakes (Pantherophis obsoletus Complex),. Herpetological Review 53(3):537-547.
Burns, Ashley E. and David A. Penning. 2021. Is there always a need for speed? Testing for differences in the striking behavior of Western Ratsnakes (Pantherophis obsoletus) when encountering predators and prey. Journal of Herpetology 55(1):55-61.
Burbrink, Frank T. Marcelo Gehara, Alexander D. McKelvy, and Edward A. Myers. 2021. Resolving spatial complexities of
hybridization in the context of the gray
zone of speciation in North American
ratsnakes (Pantherophis obsoletus complex). Evolution 75(2):260–277.
Burbrink, Frank and Sara Ruane. 2021. Contemporary philosophy and methods for studying
speciation and delimiting species. Ichthyology & Herpetology 109(3):874-894.
George, Andrew D., F. R. Thompson III, and J. Faaborg. 2022. Movements and habitat use by western ratsnakes (Pantherophis obsoletus) in a fragmented Midwestern landscape. Herpetological Conservation and Biology 17:306–315.
Hillis, David M. 2022. Species, clades, and their relationship to paraphyly
and monophyly: Examples from the Pantherophis
obsoletus complex. Herpetological Review 53(1):47-53.
Russell, Elisabeth. 2023. Habitat associations and fine-scale movements of the Red-spotted Toad (Anaxyrus punctatus) in Kansas and the efficacy of remote telemetry for monitoring small-scale movements. Thesis. Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas. 81 pp.
Burbrink, Frank T., Sean M. Harrington, Dean Bobo, and Edward A. Myers. 2023. Considering admixture when producing draft genomes:
an example in North American ratsnakes (Pantherophis
alleghaniensis/Pantherophis obsoletus). G3 Genes Genomes Genetics 13(10):1-8.
Wright, Jake. 2024. Herpetofaunal assemblage at a former rock quarry in the Flint Hills of Kansas. Collinsorum 13(1):8-9.
Burbrink, Frank T., Edward A. Myers, R. Alexander Pyron. 2024. Understanding species limits through the formation of phylogeographic lineages. Ecology and Evolution 14(10):1-18.
Motta, Ana P., Camila G. Meneses, and Kier Mitchel Pitogo. 2024 "2025". Geographic distribution: Pantherophis obsoletus. USA: Kansas. Herpetological Review 55(4):522.
Everhart, Michael J. 2024. Photo Essay: Observations on the occurrence of the
Western Ratsnake (Pantherophis obsoletus Say 1823) aAlong Spring Creek, Sedgwick County, Kansas. Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 127(3/4):157-159.