Racer (Coluber constrictor)
Description: Adults 30" to 60" in length. Color uniform brown, olive or grayish in adults; dark blotches on lighter background in juveniles. Slender body with smooth scales. Divided anal plate.
Racer
Related Category: Vertebrate Zoology
name for several related swift, slender snakes, especially those of the genus Coluber. All of the racers are nonpoisonous, nonconstricting, day-active snakes. The black racer, C.
Racer (Coluber constrictor)
No photo of the Racer available.
The Racer is from the order Squamata. Species from this order are amphisbaenians, lizards or snakes.
Racers are slender, quick-moving snakes. When alarmed, or on the defensive, many of these snakes rapidly vibrate the tip of their tail, and if they are in dry weeds or leaves, it produces a buzzing sound suggestive of a rattlesnake.
Racer Behaviour
No observations regarding Racer behavior have been submitted to the database yet.
Interesting Facts about Racers ...
Black Racer
Coluber constrictor
Photo by JD Willson
Description: Racers are large, relatively slender snakes known for their speed.
Black Racer (Coluber constrictor)
Photos by J.D. Willson unless otherwise noted ...
BLACK RACER FACTS
Description
The Black Racer is smooth-scaled and black above with a gray or black underside. The chin and throat have white markings. The belly is grayish to uniform black.
Prairie Racerunner (Aspidoscelis sexlineata viridis)
Description
Habitats
Habits and Life History
Prey and Hunting Techniques ...
Racerunners may wait until May to begin their seasonal activity period. Racerunners bask atop rocks or logs and actively forage for their food.
Racerunners (family Teiidae) have large hind legs and toes.
The Six-lined Racerunner, Cnemidophorus sexlineatus sexlineatus, is found in undeveloped dry habitats, including coastal dunes, throughout the state.
Racers are among the most easily seen snakes in much of the country, so they are generally not considered particularly exciting.
Blue Racer (Coluber constrictor foxi)
Description: A large gray or blue snake with smooth scales. The head is usually darker than the body, though the chin and throat are white. The belly is light blue or white.
Prairie Racerunner
Wisconsin status: restricted in range and declining
Check out the picture of the racerunner. What do you notice? Racerunners and whiptail lizards have strong hind legs and long thin tails.
The Blue Racer is a long, fairly slender snake with back, sides and belly colored plain black. Usually there is some white color on the chin and the throat. The scales are smooth, without keels, and the anal plate is divided.
Speckled Racer (Drymobius margaritiferus)
No photo of the Speckled Racer available.
The name 'racer' also implies great speed, and this is definitely the case...at least as far as our local snakes go. Top speed for this speedy five foot long serpent is still less than ten miles per hour, though, so they pose little danger to humans.
Northern Racer
Scientific Name: Coluber constrictor constrictor
Size: 36 - 60 in. (90 - 152 cm) in length
PA Status: Abundant
Habitat Type:
Meadows, old fields, farmland, open wooded areas, rock crevices, rock formations.
Six-lined Racerunner (Cnemidophorus sexlineatus)
Found throughout most of the southern 2/3 of North Carolina, Racerunners are as fast as the name indicates.
Robeson Co., NC 5/29/08.
The Western Racer is a large, long and slender snake. It has a whiplike tail, an elongated head, relatively large eyes and smooth lustrous scales.
The buttermilk racer is a highly variable snake. Some populations can have very little evidence of speckles and others can appear to be almost white with black spots, such as the one pictured here.
Northern Black Racer
(Coluber constrictor constrictor)
DESCRIPTION: Adults average 23 to 50 inches in length, while young are about 15 inches long. Coloration and geographic range separate the two subspecies that occur in Indiana.
Three individual Northern Black Racers found in Barboursville, Cabell County, WV
Photos by Adam Mann
Natural History ...
Racerunners - Family Teiidae
Eastern Six-lined Racerunner Cnemidophorus sexlineatus sexlineatus. Uncommon to locally fairly common statewide.
Racerunners are extremely fast, sun loving lizards, found along valley slopes and floodplain prairies of the Mississippi and Wisconsin rivers, and a few tributaries thereof. Racerunners are dry prairie obligates, along with Ornate Box Turtles.
Wadi racer (Platyceps rhodorachis)
The wadi racer is a long, slender and fast-moving snake, with a narrow head and long, tapering tail. The eyes are large, with round pupils... More 3 Images 0 videos ...
Black Racer
Coluber constrictor (36-60", up to 73")
The racer is the only large, black snake in New England with smooth scales.
Speed racer: Tuna are fast swimmers (they have been measured at 77 km/h (48 mph)) and include several species that are warm-blooded. Unlike most fish species, which have white flesh, the flesh of tuna is pink to dark red.
Racers (snakes), broad-winged hawks, and several small mammals.
Habitat
Open plains and rolling grasslands with few trees and scattered rocks; North America: Southern Nebraska to Arizona and southern Texas.
Black Racer(Coluber constrictor)
photo credit: Michael Dorcas
Venomous Snakes
The regularity with which people kill snakes may lead one to believe that the world is overrun with venomous snakes.
Speckled Racer
Drymobius margaritiferus
Threatened
Northern Cat-eyed Snake
Leptodeira septentrionalis ...
Although racers are among the swiftest and most graceful of all our snakes, their top speed is only 8 to 10 miles an hour. They are extremely nervous and become very aggressive when an attempt is made to capture them.
The Six-lined Racerunner is typically dark green, brown or black in color, with six yellow or green-yellow stripes that extend down the body from head to tail. The underside is usually white in color on females, and a pale blue in males.
Genus Coluber (racers)
Genus Compsophis (Madagascar bighead snakes)
Genus Coniophanes (black-striped snakes) ...
Unlike the black racer, it is a constrictor preying on rats. It has shiny, slightly keeled scales and reaches a length of 8 ft.. The poisonous Australian black snake has a hood like the related Cobra and is about 5 ft. long .
North American Racer
Coluber constrictor
Statewide except Nantucket County. Local subspecies known as "Black Racer" ...
I think the blue racer I have cannot be Bascanion constrictor (black snake). It may be the young. But I hope I've got something interesting in it.
Other animals reported to have ingested voles include trout (Salmo spp.), Pacific giant salamander (Dicampton ensatus), garter snake (Thamnophis spp.), yellow-bellied racer (Coluber constrictor), gopher snake (Pituophis melanoleucas), ...
eastern six-lined racerunner (Cnemidophorous sexlineatus sexlineatus)
eastern slender glass lizard (Ophisaurus attenuatus longicaudus)
eastern smooth earthsnake (Virginia valeriae valariae)
eastern snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina serpentina) ...
Emmitt Peters, American dog sled racer
Erik Peters, Canadian civil servant
F. E. Peters, American Scholar on Middle Eastern Religions
Frederick Peters, Canadian lawyer and politician
Frederick Emerson Peters, American fraudster ...
Blue Racer (Coluber constrictor foxii), Common Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis): Bachynski & Kadlec (2003)
^ E.g. American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos), Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata): Bachynski & Kadlec (2003)
^ E.g.
African Show Racers ... American Bohemian Pouters ... American Dragoon ... American Flying Baldheads ... American Flying Tumblers ... American Giant Homers ... American Giant Rumblers ... American Helmets ... American Komorner Tumblers ...
Eastern coral snakes will accept many snake species including burrowing snakes, baby racers, green snakes, hatchling corn snakes, glass lizards and an and occasional skink as prey.
These traits point to one particular breed, a relatively rare show pigeon as opposed to a roller or racer. This pigeon is, in fact, an owl, an Old German Owl pigeon to be precise.
House sparrows, European starlings, American kestrelsblack rat snakes, black racers, fire ants, domestic cats, black bears, and raccoons are predators of adults and chicks.
North American Racer (Blue racer) *RSG
Northern water snake
Plains garter snake
Plains hog-nosed snake *RSG
Ratsnake *RSG
Redbelly snake
Ringneck snake
Smooth green snake (Grass snake)
Western Fox snake ...
In comparison, the Antiguan racer, an inoffensive brown snake living on a small Caribbean island, has a population of around 150!
Fifty-six species of snails in the Society Islands, which includes Tahiti, went extinct in the last 30 years.
41. Northern Black Racer - Coluber constrictor constrictor
Description: 36 - 67" (90 - 170 cm). Completely black except for a white chin and throat. Scales are smooth. Juveniles have mid-dorsal row of gray spots. Anal plate divided.
They can be distinguished from black racers, which are bluish black from head to tail.
Habitat:
Eastern coachwhips are found throughout Florida except for the Keys, primarily in flatwoods, sandhill, scrub, and beach dune habitats.
Natural predators include the red-tailed hawk, the great blue heron, the common king snake (Lampropeltis getula californiae), yellow-bellied racer (Coluber constrictor mormon) and the largemouth bass; ...
It is sometimes confused with the Black Racer, which
has smoother scales than the somewhat keeled rat snake. Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo has two Black Rat Snakes on exhibit in the Connecticut Reptile House located in the New England Farmyard.
Note: Non-venomous snake species exist, too, in Yosemite such as kingsnakes and yellow-bellied racers.
Red-throated Diver, Little Loon, Cape Drake, Cape Race, Cape Racer, Cobble, Pegging-Owl Loon, Pepper-shinned Loon, Scape-Grace, Sprat Loon, Rain Goose
Bird Family :
Gaviidae - Loons (Divers) ...
In the neighbourhood of Boston, and along the Bay of Fundy, they are best known by the names of "Scape-grace" and "Cape-racer.
In the colder months of the year, the black rat snake will den up with other snakes including the timber rattlesnake and the racer.
Mark McCormick © shot this series of a San Diego Alligator Lizard biting onto the neck of a lizard-eating California Striped Racer in San Bernardino County.
Don't be fooled by the rattle - there are several snake species (black racer, milk snake, hognose) that vibrate their tails when cornered.
8.
In Winter, gopher snakes hibernate, retreating to communal dens, sometimes sharing the lair with rattlesnakes, whipsnakes or racers. But in the breeding season, males vigorously defend their territories against all competing males.
I was very surprised to see any toad, but this one was close to the resaca, where there's some appreciable moisture. A prey item for the Speckled Racers prowling the shorelines.
Return to Life List Index Return to Mike's Page ...
The pet store told me that she was a racer and to feed her pinkies. We bought a pinkie and put in her cage and the snake would not eat the pinkie. Instead, it curled up with it and kept in warm, we ended up releasing both together.
 See also: Snake, Lizard, Reptile, Rat snake, Rat
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