Pilot Black Snake

Black snakes prefer heavily wooded areas and are known for having excellent climbing abilities, including the ability to climb the trunk of large mature trees without the aid of branches. They are competent swimmers, but usually use this ability only to travel to additional hunting territory. During winter, the black snake hibernates in dens, often with copperheads and timber rattlesnakes. This association gave rise to the common name, pilot black snake, and the superstition that this nonvenomous species led the venomous ones to the den.
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