Chicken Snake
Spilotes pullatus
Silhouette: Alex Slavenko · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassSquamata
- FamilyColubridae (Colubrid Snakes)
- GenusSpilotes
- SpeciesSpilotes pullatus (Chicken Snake)
About the Chicken Snake
Spilotes pullatus, commonly known as the chicken snake, tropical chicken snake, yellow rat snake, or tiger rat snake is a species of large nonvenomous colubrid snake endemic to the Neotropics. Including the nominotypical subspecies, the following five subspecies are recognized:
S. p. pullatus (Linnaeus, 1758) S. p. anomalepis Bocourt, 1888 S. p. argusiformis Amaral, 1929 S. p. maculatus Amaral, 1929 S. p. mexicanus (Laurenti, 1768) It is found in southern Mexico, Central America, northern and central South America, and Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean.
Adults may attain a maximum total length of 2.7 m (8.9 ft), with the average length ranging from 1.5 to 2 m (4.9 to 6.6 ft). Dorsally, S. pullatus is black with yellow spots which may form crossbands. The tip of the snout is yellow. The head shields may be mostly yellow, or mostly black, or crossbanded with a combination of yellow and black, but the sutures between the shields are always black. Ventrally, it is yellow with irregular black crossbands.
The body is relatively slender and somewhat laterally compressed. The head is distinct from the neck. The eye... Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Chagres National Park
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Phrynonax poecilonotus
Blunthead Tree Snake
Imantodes cenchoa
Striped Vine Snake
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Fire-bellied Snake
Erythrolamprus epinephalus
Cope's Vine Snake
Oxybelis brevirostris
South American Forest Racer
Dendrophidion percarinatum
False Fer-de-lance
Xenodon rabdocephalus
Spotted Coffee Snake
Ninia maculata
Rhombic Cat-eyed Snake
Leptodeira rhombifera
Central American Lizard Eater
Mastigodryas alternatus
Adorned Graceful Brown Snake
Rhadinaea decorata
Degenhardt's Scorpion-eating Snake
Stenorrhina degenhardtii
Global Distribution
Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Chicken Snake in Chagres National Park?
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Chicken Snake sighting in Chagres National Park, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Chicken Snake in Chagres National Park?
August has the highest sighting rate for Chicken Snake in Chagres National Park in our monthly data.