Breaks, Virginia (WHAS11) - Staff at the Breaks Interstate Park near the Kentucky/Virginia border were surprised Tuesday when they spotted a different kind of visitor, a Black Rat Snake.
You can see in the photo that the snake had managed to wrap its body around the door handle to the building, which to some might be instant nightmare fuel.
On the Breaks Interstate Park Facebook page, they said: "We had a guest stop by the Visitor Center yesterday. Unfortunately, it had already closed for the evening, but we think he wanted to ask our Naturalist about good areas to find mice in the park."
According to the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife snake guide, the black rat snake is one of Kentucky’s largest snakes. A large shiny brown to black (sometimes grayish) snake with occasional cream or yellowish coloring “between” its scales. These light areas are most visible when the snake is extended. The belly coloration is light, usually with some indications of black and white checkering. The young are grayish with darker blotches (saddles) down the back clearly extending onto the tail. Rat snakes are good climbers and can often be seen on tree limbs or barn rafters. It is a beneficial species to have around the barnyard where it will feed on mice and rats, which it kills by constriction.
