at made it appear so different is it was exhibiting a behavior called kinking. The black rat snake is one of several snakes that assume this bizarre posture. When threatened, rat snakes sometimes don this folded or braided pose as a form of camouflage. Supposedly, to a potential predator, a kinked snake looks like nothing more than a stick, and will pass on by without attacking the motionless reptile.
When I was in college, Dr E. Provost told us that this kinked appearance in a rat snake indicated the snake was in a very healthy condition.
Thank you very much for you comment. I had never heard kinking was linked to health. Your comment prompted me to check with a herpetologist and a retired professor that specialized in herpetology. Neither one had ever heard that kinking was related to health. If you come across further information on this subject, or I uncover something new, I will let you know.
Thanks for relating this story. The more I learn about him, the more I and convinced he was a VERY special teacher. I wish I had a class with him.
Photographed a black rat snake in a similar position today. It startled me when I was adding pine straw to a large pile in my backyard. By the time I had the courage to walk up to it again it had a very similar shape to the one you showed here
Ben,
That was a good find. I do not know if many folks have seen this behavior or know what it is. Thanks for sharing it.