Wild caught black rat snake- Red/orange Belly!?!

[pookasmuse]

I caught a 3.5-4 foot black rat snake on a road in the middle of nowhere. It is interesting to me. First, it is as tame as a captive raised corn snake and doesn't have a scratch on it. Second it has retained more of its juvenile pattern than normal. Still dark, but with clear saddles. Third its belly is red/orange instead of white. It has red/orange skin solid/mottled and on many of the scales where they attach, on its sides from just behind the head to the tip of its tail. This is goes half way up the sides, then the skin is white for a band, then resumes the red/orange color over the back. The scales are black. The head is standard black and white and so is the belly for about 1/3 of the length, then orange starts in patchy and pale, gradually getting darker and deeper until the last 1/3 of the belly has nearly no white at all. This fading in of color may be all around the animal, as the tail even has a few dark orange scales/spots on scales, and the tail of the snake even though it is black has a ruddy cast about it. I would really appreciate any thoughts on this animal. Thanks.

[Big-D Reptiles]

Any pics ?

It sounds almost like an Eastern Indigo Snake.

Where did you find it ?

[dannyc]

You should post pics. Everybody loves snake pics, especially something different.

[pookasmuse]

I'll get pics up this weekend. I have to borrow a scanner. I caught it in central Illinois. I am fairly certain it is some sort of black rat. Thanks for replying. I know sometimes black rats can have some red in them but this snake is ridiculous. :mednormal I am wondering if there is a morph I can breed too to get more of this high red. I plan to try and catch as many more black rat specimins as I can before hibernation. I want to compare the variability of red in the local pop. Thanks again.