Prairie King or Emory Rat Snake

[Coyote B]

ID help please

It has a checkered belly too

[SnoopySnake]

The head pattern makes me say prairie king.

[Coyote B]

I agree, looks so similar. The arrow point is the wrong way for an Emory

[SnoopySnake]

Originally Posted by Coyote B

The arrow point is the wrong way for an Emory

Yep, exactly what I was thinking.

[FWK]

If you have the critters in hand and you're still not sure, check the anal scale. Rat Snakes have a divided anal scale, a Kings anal scale is single. Kings (Lampropeltis) and Rats (Pantherophis) are very differently physically. Rat Snakes have a very flat, well defined belly while Kings are much more round. A cross section of a Rat Snake would be shaped much like a capital D, a King would be more like an O. Rats tend to be more slender, Kings chunky. Rats Snakes heads are longer and more angular with big eyes, Kings are round and blunt with smaller eyes. They are pretty similar in color and pattern so telling them apart in pictures can be challenging, especially if the head isn't available (if you throw a Glossy in the mix things can get really interesting), but in hand they are as different as night and day. Handle a few of each and the differences should become easy to see.

[Coyote B]

Thank you very much for the reply. This is my first juvenile of either species to catch so it threw me off. The distinctions of the adults are easier to point out. Thanks again!