Eastern Racers eat a variety of rodents, insects, amphibians, other reptiles, birds, and bird eggs. Eastern Racers often bask in the sun in low brush and can quickly disappear from view, thus earning the name “racer.” They are the only species in the Midwest that will occasionally charge at a person however, this behavior is a bluff and the Eastern Racer will retreat if challenged. They are active during daylight hours and can be relatively easy to spot in the field because they often forage with their head and neck raised above their body. Juvenile Eastern Racers are similar to other blotched snakes in Indiana ( Northern Watersnakes, Eastern Milksnakes, and Prairie Kingnsnake) but are more slender and have proportionally longer tails.Įastern Racers prefer dry open fields, meadows, forest clearings, and prairies. Eastern Racers are also more slender and have longer tails than either of the other common Indiana "black snakes". While Black Kingsnakes have diffuse speckling, Gray Ratsnakes tend to have more extensive checkered and diffuse banding. In the Midwest, geographic location is the best way to distinguish between the Blue and Eastern Yellow-Bellied Racers.īoth Black Kingsnakes and Gray Ratsnakes are similar in appearance, but tend to have some visible patterning as adults. flaviventris) is pale blue-gray to brown above with a bright yellow belly. foxii) is uniformly bluish gray, turquoise or olive with a white to yellow chin. Geographic location differentiates this subspecies in the Midwest. Internal anatomical differences distinguish these subspecies. Their throats are white, but little of this color extends onto the supralabial (upper lip) scales. constrictor) are uniformly shiny black above and dark gray below. Coloration and geographic range separate the four of the eleven recognized subspecies that occur in the Midwest. Though, not quite as long as Gray Ratsnakes, Eastern Racers can reach total lengths of around five feet (1.5 m). Though adults are uniformly dark on top, juveniles are gray-blue with red-brown blotches that fade with age. These slender snakes are aptly named for their speed and alertness both of which are almost diagnostic as no other Indiana snake moves so quickly or gracefully. In northwestern Indiana, Eastern Racers are blue with dark "masks" around the eyes. Though commonly known by the moniker "blue racer", most Eastern Racers in Indiana are slate-gray to black with a whitish underbelly.
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