Species: Coluber constrictor

Racer
Species

    Upper surface of adults varies from black (e.g., northeastern U.S) to plain brown or olive (most of western and central U.S.), with a spattering of white, yellowish, buff, or pale blue in some parts of the south-central United States; upper scales smooth (unkeeled); belly black (e.g., northeastern U.S.) to plain yellow or cream (western and central U.S.); eyes large; anal scale divided; nostril bordered by two separate scales; usually 15 dorsal scale rows just anterior to the vent; lower preocular scale (lowermost scale in front of the eye) wedged between upper lip scales. Total length up to around 190 cm in the northeastern U.S., much smaller (usually less than 90 cm) in the west. Hatchling: upper surface with numerous brown blotches on a paler background; eyes relatively huge. Source: Hammerson (1999).

    Kingdom
    Animalia
    Phylum
    Craniata
    Class

    Reptilia

    Order

    Squamata

    Family

    Colubridae

    Genus

    Coluber

    Classification
    Other Global Common Names
    Eastern Racer - Racer - couleuvre agile
    Informal Taxonomy
    Animals, Vertebrates - Reptiles - Snakes
    Formal Taxonomy
    Animalia - Craniata - Reptilia - Squamata - Colubridae - Coluber - (Fitch et al. 1981), but this distinction has been demonstrated to be invalid (Corn and Bury 1986; see also Greene 1984).

    Upper surface of adults varies from black (e.g., northeastern U.S) to plain brown or olive (most of western and central U.S.), with a spattering of white, yellowish, buff, or pale blue in some parts of the south-central United States; upper scales smooth (unkeeled); belly black (e.g., northeastern U.S.) to plain yellow or cream (western and central U.S.); eyes large; anal scale divided; nostril bordered by two separate scales; usually 15 dorsal scale rows just anterior to the vent; lower preocular scale (lowermost scale in front of the eye) wedged between upper lip scales. Total length up to around 190 cm in the northeastern U.S., much smaller (usually less than 90 cm) in the west. Hatchling: upper surface with numerous brown blotches on a paler background; eyes relatively huge. Source: Hammerson (1999).

    Migration
    false - true - false - Migrates up to at least 1.8 km between winter hibernaculum and summer range in Utah (Brown and Parker 1976), up to at least 2.3 km (average at least 848 m) in Michigan (Rosen 1991).
    Non-migrant
    false
    Locally Migrant
    true
    Food Comments
    Diet typically includes small mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and large insects.
    Reproduction Comments
    Eggs laying occurs in June or early to mid-July in most areas. Eggs laying peaks early to mid-June in southern Michigan (Rosen 1991), late June or early July in Utah/Colorado. Clutch size is usually 5-28, averages higher in the east than in the west; mean clutch size about 6 in Utah, 12 in Kansas, 15 in Michigan (Rosen 1991). Eggs hatch in about 6-9 weeks, generally in August or early September. Females become sexually mature in 3 years in Utah, 2-3 years in Kansas, 2 years in Michigan (Rosen 1991). Sometimes this snake nests communally.
    Ecology Comments
    Home range size was estimated at 1.4 ha for nongravid females in Utah (Brown and Parker 1976), about 10 ha in Kansas (Collins 1982). In South Carolina, summer home range was 5-21 ha (mean 12 ha); movement on active days was 74-135 m (mean 104 m); home ranges overlapped (Plummer and Congdon 1994). Population density was estimated to be 0.65/ha in Utah (Brown 1973), up to about 15/ha in Kansas. Estimated adult annual survivorship was 79% in Utah, 62% in Kansas, 54% in Michigan (Rosen 1991).<br><br>When confronted by a person, racers, like many harmless snakes, sometimes vibrate the tail. In dry vegetation, this may produce a sound similar to that make by a rattlesnakes rattle.
    Length
    196
    NatureServe Global Status Rank
    G5
    Global Status Last Reviewed
    2006-08-30
    Global Status Last Changed
    1996-10-29
    Conservation Status Map
    <img src="http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/GetMapGif?CA.AB=S1&CA.BC=S3&CA.ON=S1&CA.SK=S3&US.AL=S5&US.AZ=S1&US.AR=SNR&US.CA=SNR&US.CO=S5&US.CT=S5&US.DE=S5&US.DC=S4&US.FL=SNR&US.GA=S5&US.ID=S5&US.IL=S5&US.IN=SNR&US.IA=S5&US.KS=S5&US.KY=S5&US.LA=S5&US.ME=S2&US.MD=S5&US.MA=S4&US.MI=S5&US.MN=S3&US.MS=S5&US.MO=SNR&US.MT=S5&US.NE=S5&US.NV=S5&US.NH=S3&US.NJ=S5&US.NM=S3&US.NY=S4&US.NC=S5&US.ND=SNR&US.OH=SNR&US.OK=S5&US.OR=S4&US.PA=S5&US.RI=S5&US.SC=SNR&US.SD=S5&US.TN=S5&US.TX=S5&US.UT=S4&US.VT=S1&US.VA=S5&US.WA=S5&US.WV=S5&US.WI=S2&US.WY=S5" alt="Conservation Status Map" style="width: 475px; height: auto;" />
    Global Range
    H - >2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles) - H - The range extends from southern British Columbia, southern Saskatchewan, Wisconsin, Michigan, southern Ontario, New York, and southern Maine southward in the United States to southern California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, the Gulf Coast, and southern Florida, and southward through northeastern, central, and southern Mexico to Guatemala and Belize (Wilson 1978, Lee 2000, Ernst and Ernst 2003, Stebbins 2003). A record for Durango, Mexico, evidently is erroneous (Webb 2001). Elevational range extends from sea level to about 2,550 meters (8,300 feet).
    Global Range Code
    H
    Global Range Description
    >2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)
    ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.103328