Eastern Yellow-bellied Racer
Coluber constrictor flaviventris
Eastern Yellow-bellied Racer 3
A subspecies of the wide-ranging Eastern Racer, the Eastern Yellow-bellied Racer is a slender, graceful snake with a brown to slate-blue back and a yellowish belly. This snake has very large eyes and is a strongly visual predator, often raising its head up high off the ground to "periscope" for prey. It is curious and may "periscope" to get a better look at you to see if you are dangerous. It is an extremely fast snake, and gets its name from its rapid movement. Racers usually "race" away when confronted, but they may surprise you by moving very quickly toward you instead. The snake is not trying to chase you; it's just trying to intimidate you and find another way to escape. Racers may also pretend to be rattlesnakes by rapidly vibrating their tails against the ground, making a rattling sound. Don't be fooled; they aren't venomous. Simply back away and give the frightened snake some space.
Sources and Credits
- (c) Josh Henderson, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://www.flickr.com/photos/33911439@N07/4581939651
- (c) hancnaturalist, all rights reserved, uploaded by hancnaturalist
- Adapted by hancnaturalist from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coluber_constrictor
More Info
iNat Map
| Color | black, blue, brown, gray, green, white, yellow |
|---|---|
| Texture | smooth |
