RAT SNAKE MOAN!!!!!!

I work for a large company with an exceptionally large campus that spans across protected wetlands. Must be beautiful right? Well, I use to think so. Today as I walked from the main campus building back to my office I crossed paths with a huge Rat Snake!!!!!!!!!! I happen to know rat snakes are harmless, but I never saw one slither in front of me, and the joker was the size of a small python. I would like to say I crotched down into the crocodile hunter stance and grabbed the snake by the tail and swung it out of harms way, but that of course would be a total fabrication. Instead I stood motionless and the broom sized snake slithered into the grass.
The most disturbing part of the encounter was the snake completely disappearing as it hit the 1 inch thick well maintained grass. This means those demons can be lurking anywhere hiding amongst the shadows of grass blades :(

I’ve been watching too many scary movies lately! I will stick to the campus sidewalks from now on.

UPDATE: The black rat snake (Elaphe obsoleta obsoleta) is the largest species of snake in Ohio. It can reach lengths of up to eight feet, averaging 42 - 72 inches. It is black with a faint gray or brown checkerboard pattern and white between its scales. They are native to most of Ohio. The black rat snakes habitat includes forests, farmlands, and old fields, where they find prey, including small rodents, birds and eggs.

Rat snakes are not poisonous. They will bite when startled or threatened and the bite looks very much like a human bite on the skin. It lacks the two distinct fang marks of a poisonous snake. While it does hurt it is not going to make you sick. Just wash the area carefully with soap and water and watch for signs of infection as you would with any other wound.