ID assist

this isn't my picture, and I didn't see the snake in person, but I am pretty certain of what's living in my friend's wood pile. opinions are more than welcome, so please chime in if you're a better colubrid expert than I.

http://i1274.photobucket.com/albums/...ps9a261a66.jpg

Not too much to go by but looks like either a black rat snake or a black racer. If it's in Virginia then both are native.

my initial thought was black rat as well based on the shape of the skull. but I saw a few other pictures (which unfortunately I don't have a copy of) and this snake is 100% black. not terribly common for racers or rats, so I'm still thinking it might possibly be something else. however, in all likelihood, it's probably a racer.