In any case, no snake is truly poisonous. Snakes are venomous (except for those that aren’t), the distinction being (mostly) that poison is harmful or fatal whether ingested or injected into the bloodstream, while venom is harmful only if injected into the bloodstream. Thus, venom is safe to ingest. read more
Common Black Snake Myths Myth #1: Black snakes keep poisonous snakes away. Having a black snake doesn’t guarantee that there are no other snakes around. Black racers do occasionally kill and eat other snakes. Black rat snakes, however, aren’t known for snake killing. read more
YOUNG BLACK RAT SNAKES CONFUSED WITH COPPERHEADS Young Black Rat Snakes The young snakes are often confused with the copperheads because the young black rat snakes don’t look like the adults. They don’t have the solid black color yet. They are kind of grayish with dark black to brown splotches. read more