Gray ratsnake (Elaphe spiloides) COSEWIC assessment and status report: chapter 12

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Existing Protection or Other Status Designations

The Gray Ratsnake, as a recently redefined species, does not have a global rank yet. However, at the state level, ranks for those states within the range of the new species apply: all states, excluding those where ratsnakes have not been ranked or are under review, list ratsnakes as secure (S5) or apparently secure (S4); an exception is Wisconsin where ratsnakes are listed as imperiled (S2) (NatureServe, 2007). Within Canada, they are protected under Schedule 1 (Threatened) of the Species at Risk Act (SARA). Within Ontario they are ranked as S3 (NHIC) and threatened by COSSARO. They are also protected in Ontario under the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, in which Elaphe spiloides is listed as a “Specially Protected Reptile” under Schedule 10. Very little (< 5%) of the Canadian range of ratsnakes is within protected areas (See Habitat – Habitat Protection).