Adults are grayish with grayish-black blotches. The belly is sandy-gray with dark square blotches . The underside of the tail has 2 black stripes . The scales are weakly keeled , and there are 25-27 dorsal scale rows at midbody. The pupil is round.
Juveniles are similar to that of adults.
In Florida, it is found from the northwestern peninsula west throughout the panhandle. Adults of these intergrades may be gray with both black stripes and blotches. Outside of Florida, this subspecies is found from eastern Georgia west to Alabama and north to southern Indiana. Commonly found near pinelands, hardwood hammocks, cypress strands, swamps, marshes, prairies, agricultural fields, and residential areas. The gray rat snake is primarily active at night.