![]() ![]() Photo: By Sfullenwider – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, Hawks are a particular threat to the black racer, as they can use of their incredible eyesight to spot black racers from a considerable distance and then it use the element of surprise to swoop down and grab the snake. The predators of the black racer include birds of prey like the broad-winged hawk and the red shouldered hawk as well as coyotes, cats, and both wild and domestic dogs. Rather, they kill their prey by crushing it into the ground and suffocating it. Despite being given the name constrictor, the snake doesn’t actually constrict prey to kill it the same way that constrictors like the burmese python do. It will essentially consume any smaller animal that it can constrict and kill. The black racer is known for eating rodents, lizards, toads, frogs, and even smaller snakes. Like all snakes, the southern black racer is carnivorous and it subsists mainly on small mammals and amphibians. If the snake believes it is threatened it will typically vibrate its tail in patches of grass in order to mimic the sound a rattlesnake makes. The black racer will also release a foul-smelling order in an attempt to encourage their release. The bites of the black racer can be quite painful and could become infected. While not especially dangerous compared to venomous snakes, southern black racers will react aggressively if handled or threatened. Unlike some other snakes, they are more active in the daytime. The southern black racer is less timid than some other snakes, and for this reason they are often found in the yards of suburban homes. The snake simply looks for places where there is both covered and exposed ground, as it must move in and out of sunlight to regulate its body temperature, much like all cold-blooded species. However, they can be discovered in more open regions. Habitat And Dispositionīlack racers prefer thick regions of brush, overgrown wooded areas, and thickets as their habitat. The snake prefers flight over the possibility of a fight, yet if the snake is cornered it is known to lash out and repeatedly bite. The snake’s smooth scales and skin help give them the speed they need, and the snake tends to shed its skin once a year. They are also adept at climbing and swimming. This speed gives them the ability to flee towards nearby trees, tall grass, or bushes, where they can hide. Which is approximately the speed of a human quickly walking or slightly jogging. They are believed to have a top speed of around 6.5 km/h, or 4 miles per hour. They have fairly high speed and mobility over the ground, which is enough to enable their escape from most threats. ![]() The name of the southern black racer implies that they are quite fast, and this is largely true. The southern black racer typically ranges between 0.6 to 1.4 meters in length or between 20 to 55 inches in length. Juvenile black racers actually have gray or reddish-brown splotches on their skin. ![]() The distinctive color pattern of the black racer is what they look like as an adult. Yet the black racer is not venomous and kills its prey by constricting them. The cottonmouth snake also looks similar to the black racer, which unfortunately makes some people kill the black racer believing it to be venomous like the cottonmouth. This coloring scheme isn’t unique to the black racer, as the rat snake, garter snakes, and the indigo snake also share a similar color scheme. The southern black racer, as the name implies, is almost entirely black except for a whitish gray chin and sections of the underbelly. ![]() Other members of the genus Coluber include the buttermilk racer (Coluber constrictor anthicus), the tan racer (Coluber constrictor etheridgei), the blue racer (Coluber constrictor foxii), and the everglades racer (Coluber constrictor paludicola). Coluber belongs to the family Colubridae, which is the largest known snake family. Let’s take a closer look at the southern black racer snake and see how it is different/similar to other snakes in its home region.Īs mentioned, the southern black racer is a subspecies of Coluber constrictor snakes. The snake is not venomous, is mostly black except for a white section on its chin, inhabits grassy and wooded areas like thick brush and thickets of plants, and subsists mainly on small lizards and rodents. The southern black racer is a subspecies of the Coluber constrictor that can be found throughout much of the southeastern United States. ![]()
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