Names of snakes change greatly with localities. A "rat snake" in this area, it is usually a fairly stout black snake with a lot of white on its chin and belly, and sometimes on its body. They are similar looking to black racer snakes, but our black racers usually have white that doesn't go too far back from their chin. I think each of them have at last a dozen local different names. The juveniles of both look somewhat similar to juvenile the water snakes.
Rat snakes actually have a few different color phases. Check out the photos in the link I posted. The black with white chin phase is one of the pics. I have caught them like that in TN, but every single one I have ever caught in GA looks identical to the one Esshup posted.
They are amazing climbers. One time, I caught one climbing straight up a vertical concrete wall of a tunnel under the interstate. It was going after bats in the tunnel. Shortly after I grabbed him he threw up a bat.
