Frick Park snake identified as native black rat snake

The search for what some might call a terrifyingly large snake in Pittsburgh’s Frick Park was called off Thursday, as it turns out he belongs there.

Pittsburgh Public Safety tweeted mid-afternoon that reptile specialists helped Animal Care and Control identify the snake, captured in a photo by a parkgoer earlier in the day.

The snake, believed by the passerby to be non-native to the area, was actually a black rat snake, which is, in fact, native to this area. The parkgoer’s photo showed the reptile in a tree at the time.

The sighting sent Animal Care and Control officers into the park looking for the reptile where it had last been seen. Several hours later, with the help of specialists at the Pittsburgh Zoo, it was determined the snake wasn’t out of place in the park.

“Final update: the experts have spoken!” authorities tweeted. “We thank the reptile specialists at the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium for identifying the Frick Park snake as a black rat snake.”

The snakes, also called Eastern rat snakes, are found from Connecticut to South Carolina and as far west as Kansas and Oklahoma, according to the National Wildlife Federation, and are “excellent swimmers and climbers.” They’re nonvenomous and can grow up to 7 feet long.

Final Update: The experts have spoken!
We thank the reptile specialists at the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium for identifying the Frick Park snake as a Black Rat Snake.
We thank the public for their interest and for helping us identify this park visitor. https://t.co/WeAIBQX08L

— Pgh Public Safety (@PghPublicSafety) April 8, 2021