![]() ![]() 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. 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. 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.Ĭloseup of head of C. ![]() 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. Visiting a habitat demonstration area within this species' range is a good way to increase your chances of seeing black racers and other young forest wildlife.C. This publication can also be purchased from the Wildlife Management Institute. #Eastern racer downloadLearn more about black racers at this webpage from the University of New Hampshire Extension Service, a partner in the Young Forest Project.įor more detailed information, including references to scientific papers, download Under Cover: Wildlife of Shrublands and Young Forest. Conservationists recommend habitat management practices that restore and maintain large patches of young regrowing forest and sunny shrubland.Ĭlick on the map at left to see a larger image.īoth public and private landowners can make young forest habitat. They thrive in and along the edges of young forests, including those that are growing back following clearcut timber harvests or fires. #Eastern racer how toHow to Help Racers: Racers need grasslands, old fields, shrublands, and other habitats that lack tree-canopy cover and therefore grow plenty of thick low-level vegetation. Residential development, the maturing of forests, and the building of roads have reduced and fragmented their habitats. Their populations are declining in those regions, where they are considered Species of Greatest Conservation Need in most states. Status: The northern black racer ( Coluber constrictor constrictor) and the blue racer ( Coluber constrictor foxii) live in the East and the Upper Midwest, respectively. Racers are active during the day, when they hunt down and eat insects, lizards, small rodents, other snakes, and birds and their eggs. ![]() Racers are black or blue-black with a pale belly and measure 3 to 5 feet long. ![]()
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