If captured they are difficult to handle and will writhe, defecate and spray musk in an attempt to escape. Rattling their tails among dry leaves, racers can sound convincingly like rattlesnakes. In this case, they may bite, but Black Racers are. Black Racer snakes will be very unlikely to attempt to bite you unless it is being harmed or directly. It’s a mostly non-aggressive snake that won’t display threatening behavior unless provoked fully. However, once cornered they put up a vigorous fight, biting hard and often. The black racer snake is not venomous, nor are they dangerous creatures to humans or pets. Aptly named, racers are very fast and typically flee from danger. Active primarily during the day, racers are commonly seen as they bask on shrubs, rocks, ledges and roads, and are tolerant of summer temperatures that would drive other snakes to seek shelter. They will even feed on young of their own species. Small mammals, other snakes and insects are preferred food items, although racers take a wide variety of prey. Eggs laid in June or July normally hatch in August and September.īlack racers are common snakes that utilize a variety of habitats including rocky ledges, pastures, overgrown fields, dry or moist woodlands and the edges of wetlands. Racers mate in the spring, and females deposit 10-12 eggs in small mammal burrows, under rocks or logs, or in mulch piles or rotting logs. The pattern fades with age, disappearing when the snake reaches 25-30 inches in length. A juvenile racer is gray with large brown, black or reddish blotches down the back, small spots along the sides and large dark eyes. Description: A long, shiny, black snake reaching a maximum total length of 1,854 mm (73.0 inches) (Conant and Collins, 1991). Smooth scales give this snake a silky or satin-like appearance. Its chin, throat and jaw are white or gray and the belly is generally dark (gray, bluish, or black) from the throat back. Their prey is made up of lizards, frogs, baby turtles, small snakes, and the nestlings of ground dwelling birds or mammals.The racer is the only large, black snake in New England with smooth scales. When preparing to shed they often seek seclusion beneath ground-surface debris. The beauty rat snake (Orthriophis taeniura, once of the Elaphe complex), also called the beauty ratsnake, the beauty snake, or the cave racer, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. Open fields, meadows, yards, and other such habitats. When amidst dead leaves and grasses this produces a sound somewhat similar to that of a disturbed rattlesnake As would befit snakes with such hunting techniques, the eyes are large and vision is acute When defensive, racers often shake or vibrate their tail. Aptly named, these fast snakes often hunt by “periscoping,” their head held well above the grasses or weeds in which they are searching for their prey of lizards, frogs, baby turtles, small snakes, and the nestlings of ground dwelling birds or mammals. Additionally, the hatchlings are lighter than the adults and usually strongly patterned with darker dorsal saddles or crossbands. The resulting offspring may mature into differently colored adults. Where ranges abut or overlap, the various subspecies of this snake often interbreed. Scales are smooth, in 17 rows to and beyond midbody, and 15 rows posteriorly. Hatchlings are lighter than the adults and are strongly patterned with darker dorsal saddles. Adult at 4 to 5 feet in length, occasionally a bit longer. The experience of having a large black snake slithering out from underfoot has given many a startle in southern Maine. This snake differs from the southern black racer only in internal characteristics.
Satiny black (not shiny) above and below except white chin and throat.
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