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 →
Recent sightings of Chicken Snake in Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve
LIVEiNaturalistClosest Relatives at Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve
Mexican Parrot Snake
Leptophis mexicanus
Gulf Coast Vine Snake
Oxybelis potosiensis
Green Rat Snake
Senticolis triaspis
Dryad Snake
Mastigodryas melanolomus
Speckled Racer
Drymobius margaritiferus
Yucatán White-lipped Snake
Symphimus mayae
Faded Black-striped Snake
Coniophanes schmidti
Rainforest Cat-eyed Snake
Leptodeira frenata
Green Vine Snake
Oxybelis fulgidus
Central American Indigo Snake
Drymarchon melanurus
Blood Snake
Stenorrhina freminvillei
Snail-eating Thirst Snake
Dipsas brevifacies
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 Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve?
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Chicken Snake sighting in Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve, based on 9 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Chicken Snake in Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve?
September has the highest sighting rate for Chicken Snake in Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve in our monthly data.