Common Name:

 Eastern Ratsnake
Scientific Name:
Pantherophis alleghaniensis
Etymology:
Genus:

Pantherophis is derived from the Greek words "pan" which means bread, referring to the bread loaf, cross-section shape of the snake, "thero" means a wild beast of summer and "ophis" means snake.
 Species:
alleghaniensis refers to its habitat in the Allegheny Mountains. 
Vernacular Names:
Alleghany black snake, black chicken snake, black Coluber, black pilot snake, black racer, blue racer, chicken snake, mountain black snake, mountain pilot snake, pilot, racer, rat snake, rusty black snake, scaly black snake.
Average Length:
42 - 72 in. (106.7-183 cm)
Virginia Record Length: 
79.8 in. (202.8 cm) *Note: The eastern ratsnake is the only 6+ foot snake found in Virginia
Record length:
101 in. (256.5 cm)

 

Virginia Fish and Wildlife Information Service: Species Booklet

Photos:

*Click on a thumbnail for a larger version.
A juvenile Eastern Ratsnake eating a Gray Treefrog
in Bedford Co.
A juvenile Eastern Ratsnake eating a Gray Treefrog
in Bedford Co.