Eastern racer

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Species of snake

title: "Eastern racer" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["colubrinae", "snakes-of-north-america", "reptiles-of-the-united-states", "fauna-of-the-eastern-united-states", "reptiles-of-mexico", "reptiles-of-canada", "symbols-of-ohio", "reptiles-described-in-1758", "animal-taxa-named-by-carl-linnaeus", "least-concern-biota-of-the-united-states"] description: "Species of snake" topic_path: "geography/united-states" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_racer" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Species of snake ::

| image = | image_caption = Northern black racer (Coluber constrictor constrictor) | status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = | genus = Coluber | parent_authority = Linnaeus, 1758 | species = constrictor | authority = Linnaeus, 1758 | range_map = Coluber constrictor distribution.png | synonyms = {{Collapsible list|

The eastern racer, or North American racer (Coluber constrictor), is a species of nonvenomous snake in the subfamily Colubrinae of the family Colubridae. The species is native to North America and Central America. Eleven subspecies, including the nominotypical subspecies, are recognized, which as a group are commonly referred to as the eastern racers. The species is monotypic in the genus Coluber.

Geographic range

Coluber constrictor is found throughout much of the United States, on both sides of the Rocky Mountains, but it also ranges north into Canada and south into Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize.

Subspecies

::data[format=table title=""]

ImageSubspeciesCommon name
[[File:Coluber constrictor anthicus.jpgframeless200x200px]]
[[File:Coluber constrictorPCCP20030612-1115B.jpgframeless200x200px]]
[[File:Tan Racer, Hicks, LA 71446, USA imported from iNaturalist photo 283750000.jpgframeless200x200px]]
[[File:Coluber constrictor flaviventris (1).jpgframeless200x200px]]
[[File:Coiledblueracersnake.jpgframeless200x200px]]
[[File:Brownchin Racer imported from iNaturalist photo 64866305 on 13 December 2024 (cropped).jpgframeless200x200px]]
[[File:Black-masked Racer imported from iNaturalist photo 68563789 on 13 December 2024.jpgframeless200x200px]]
[[File:Coluber constrictor ssp. oaxaca.jpgframeless200x200px]]
[[File:Everglades Racer, Miami-Dade County, FL, USA imported from iNaturalist photo 177966482.jpgframeless200x200px]]
[[File:Colubridae- Coluber constrictor priapus (Southern Black Racer) - 49152430527.jpgframeless200x200px]]
[[File:WesternYellowBelliedRacer.JPGframeless200x200px]]
::

Description

Adult eastern racers can typically vary from 50 to in total length (tail included) depending on the subspecies, but a record-sized specimen measured 185.4 cm in total length. A typical adult specimen will weigh around 556 g, with little size difference between the sexes.

The patterns vary widely among subspecies. Most are solid-colored as their common names imply: black racers, brown racers, tan racers, blue racers, or green racers. "Runner" is sometimes used instead of "racer" in their common names. All subspecies have a lighter-colored underbelly: white, light tan, or yellow in color. Juveniles are more strikingly patterned, with a middorsal row of dark blotches on a light ground color. The tail is unpatterned. As they grow older, the dorsum darkens and the juvenile pattern gradually disappears.

Behavior

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/34/Coluber_constrictor_mormon_--_closeup_of_face,_side.jpg" caption="Western yellow-bellied racer (''C. c. mormon'')"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3d/Southern_Black_Racer,_Richmond_Hill,_GA,_US_imported_from_iNaturalist_photo_212797598.jpg" caption="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. Most smaller prey items are simply swallowed alive."] ::

They are curious snakes with excellent vision. They are visual hunters and hunt exclusively in the daytime and are often seen raising their heads above the ground to get a better view of their surroundings, a behavior dubbed "periscoping" by snake enthusiasts. Aptly named, racers are very fast and typically flee from a potential predator. However, once cornered, they put up a vigorous fight, biting hard and often. They are difficult to handle and will writhe, defecate, and release a foul-smelling musk from their cloacae. Vibrating their tails among dry leaves, racers can sound convincingly like rattlesnakes.

Habitat

Coluber constrictor is found frequently near water, but also in brush, trash piles, roadsides, and swamps, and in suburbia; it is the most common snake in residential neighborhoods in Florida. It spends most of its time on the ground, but it is a good tree climber and may be found in shrubs and trees where bird nests can be raided for eggs and chicks, as well as small adult birds such as finches, canaries, and thrashers.

Most of the eastern racers prefer open, grassland-type habitats where their keen eyesight and speed can be readily used, but they are also found in light forest and even semiarid regions. They are usually not far from an area of cover for hiding.

Reproduction

In Coluber constrictor, mating takes place in the spring from April until early June. Around a month later, the female lays three to 30 eggs in a hidden nest site, such as a hollow log, an abandoned rodent burrow, or under a rock. The juveniles hatch in the early fall. A newborn is 8–10 in (20–26 cm) in total length. Maturity is reached around 2 years old. Eastern racers have been known to lay their eggs in communal sites, where a number of snakes, even those from other species, all lay their eggs together.

Symbol

-- The northern black racer is the state reptile of Ohio.

Gallery

File:Coluber constrictor flaviventris.jpg|Juvenile eastern yellow-bellied racer, C. c. flaviventris File:Coluber constrictor flaviventris2.jpg|Adult eastern yellow-bellied racer, C. c. flaviventris File:Coluber constrictorPCCP20030613-1137B.jpg|Adult northern black racer, C. c. constrictor File:Coluber constrictorPCCA20040327-1229B.jpg|Adult northern black racer, C. c. constrictor, in typical habitat File:Black Rat Snake2.jpg|Adult black rat snake, Pantherophis obsoletus, often confused with the northern black racer File:Coluber constrictor ssp. priapus (Southern Black Racer).jpg|Close up of adult southern black racer, C. c. priapus, showing the iridescence of its scales

References

References

  1. Hammerson, G.A.. (2013). "''Coluber constrictor''".
  2. [[Leonhard Stejneger. Stejneger L]], [[Thomas Barbour. Barbour T]] (1917). ''A Check List of North American Amphibians and Reptiles''. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. 125 pp. (''Coluber constrictor'', p. 79)
  3. "''Coluber constrictor'' ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
  4. [http://dsp-psd.pwgsc.gc.ca/Collection/CW69-14-413-2005E.pdf Eastern and Western Yellow-bellied Racers], COSEWIC Assessment and Update Status Report
  5. [[Roger Conant (herpetologist). Conant, Roger]] (1975). ''A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Second Edition''. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. xviii + 429 pp. + Plates 1-48. {{ISBN. 0-395-19977-8 (paperback). (''Coluber consrictor constrictor'', pp. 178-179 + Plate 26 + Map 139).
  6. "Species profile: Minnesota DNR". Dnr.state.mn.us.
  7. "Southern Black Racer, Racer (Florida Museum)". Flmnh.ufl.edu.
  8. (2007). "Habitat Use and Thermal Ecology of Ratsnakes (Elaphe Obsoleta) and Racers ... - Gerardo L. F. Carfagno - Google Books".
  9. "Corkscrew's common snakes: Black Racer (''Coluber constrictor priapus'')". Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary.
  10. "Coluber constrictor (Eastern Racer)".
  11. (6 May 2022). "Eastern Racer Animal Facts".
  12. DeGregorio, Brett A., Jinelle H. Sperry, Daniel P. Valente, and Patrick J. Weatherhead. 2014. "Facultative Nocturnal Behaviour in Snakes: Experimental Examination of Why and How with Ratsnakes ( Elaphe Obsoleta) and Racers ( Coluber Constrictor)." Canadian Journal of Zoology 92 (3): 229–37. doi:10.1139/cjz-2013-0255.
  13. School of Computer Science. "UMass Amherst: The College of Natural Sciences". Umass.edu.
  14. "Ohio's state symbols". Ohio Governor's Residence and Heritage Garden.
  15. (2008). "5.031 State reptile". Lawriter LLC.

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colubrinaesnakes-of-north-americareptiles-of-the-united-statesfauna-of-the-eastern-united-statesreptiles-of-mexicoreptiles-of-canadasymbols-of-ohioreptiles-described-in-1758animal-taxa-named-by-carl-linnaeusleast-concern-biota-of-the-united-states