If you've ever run across one out in the wild you know they have well earned their name. The Everglades Racer is a subspecies found only in the Everglades habitat region of southern peninsular Florida. The Eastern Yellow-Bellied Racer Also called the blue racer, these quick little critters are a subspecies of the coluber or racer family. Nestled in Yaupon Holly (Ilex vomitoria), like Rat Snakes, racers are also good climbers and enjoy dining on bird eggs and nestlings.Įverglades Racer (Coluber constrictor paludicola) Young racers show a faint pattern of small blotches. Northern Black Racer (Coluber constrictor constrictor)īlack Rat Snakes have a "rougher" look because they have keeled scales. Around eleven subspecies are recognized with various common names. They usually rapidly crawl away when humans come across them while out hiking. Juveniles have dark blotches on a lighter gray background, may be confused with eastern milksnake or common watersnake. They do prey on a variety of small animals but not by first squeezing them. Despite their scientific name, they are not constrictors. Non-venomous and widespread (except at higher elevations), Eastern (Black) Racers are one of the most commonly encountered diurnal snakes. Vibrating their tails among dry leaves, racers can sound convincingly like rattlesnakes.Eastern Racer (Coluber constrictor) Eastern Racer (Coluber constrictor) They are difficult to handle and will writhe, defecate, and release a foul-smelling musk from their cloacae. However, once cornered, they put up a vigorous fight, biting hard and often. Aptly named, racers are very fast and typically flee from a potential predator. They are curious snakes with excellent vision and are sometimes seen raising their heads above the height of the grass where they are crawling to view what is around them. Most smaller prey items are simply swallowed alive. Northern Black Racers have been found to overwinter with Eastern. Despite their specific name, constrictor, they do not really employ constriction, instead simply subduing struggling prey by pinning it bodily, pressing one or two coils against it to hold it in place instead of actually suffocating it. American black snake, American racer snake, black chaser, black runner, blue racer. Juveniles often consume soft-bodied insects, such as crickets and moths. Some subspecies are known to climb trees to eat eggs and young birds. Their diet consists primarily of small rodents, frogs, toads, lizards, and other snakes. The eastern racers are fast-moving, highly active, diurnal snakes. As they grow older, the dorsum darkens and the juvenile pattern gradually disappears. Juveniles are more strikingly patterned, with a middorsal row of dark blotches on a light ground color. All subspecies have a lighter-colored underbelly: white, light tan, or yellow in color. "Runner" is sometimes used instead of "racer" in their common names. Most are solid-colored as their common names imply: black racers, brown racers, tan racers, blue racers, or green racers. The patterns vary widely among subspecies. A typical adult specimen will weigh around 556 g (1.226 lb), with little size difference between the sexes. constrictor is found throughout the United States, east of the Rocky Mountains, but it also ranges north into Canada and south into Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize.Īdult eastern racers can typically vary from 50 to 152 cm (20 to 60 in) in total length (including tail) depending on the subspecies, but a record-sized specimen measured 185.4 cm (73.0 in) in total length. The species is monotypic in the genus Coluber.Ĭ. Eleven subspecies, including the nominotypical subspecies, are recognized, which as a group are commonly referred to as the eastern racers. The species is endemic to North America and Central America. The eastern racer ( Coluber constrictor) is a species of nonvenomous snake in the family Colubridae.
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