The Black Rat Snake is listed as a species of Special Concern by the State of Minnesota. Description Black Rat Snakes are among the largest of Minnesota's snakes. Adults range from 40 to 74 inches in length. It is non venomous and, as its name implies, is generally a black snake, although very few specimens are completely pitch black.
Most adults have shiny, unmarked black heads and necks with bright white labials.
Dorsally, the bodies are black or brown with white, yellow, or red in between the scales and on the scale tips as well. In most cases these highlights accent a blotched pattern that is much more evident in young specimens. Posteriorly, the snake becomes solid black again. Ventrally, the throat and neck are white. At the middle, black or brown invades the white and posteriorly the ventrals are a shiny bluish black.