Which species share the common name "black snake" with Pantherophis obsoletus?
Answer
Eastern Indigo Snake and the Eastern Racer
The term 'black snake' is a source of frequent confusion in field identification because it is applied to multiple distinct species across different regions. Specifically, the nomenclature used for *Pantherophis obsoletus* overlaps with that used for at least two other prominent reptiles. The Eastern Indigo Snake and the Eastern Racer are both sometimes referred to by the common moniker 'black snake,' which leads to potential misidentification when encountering *P. obsoletus*. This naming overlap is compounded by the fact that *P. obsoletus* itself has several common names, including Black Rat Snake and Pilot Black Snake.
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