Blue Runner, Black Runner - Beneficial and Beautiful
Black Racers are very fast black snakes with a bluish cast to their scales. Other names for this handsome, non-venomous snake are Blue Racer, Blue Runner and Black Runner. The Southern Black Racer occurs in habitats all over Louisiana and through most of the Southeast. Most Racers do not enjoy being handled. Black racers eat mostly mice and rats, so are extremely beneficial snakes to have around.
Black Racers
are often called Blue Runners or Blue Racers because of the blue tinge of their scales. They move very quickly and can be out of sight in the blink of an eye.
Coluber constrictor Linnaeus
There are five subspecies of Black Racers that occur in Louisiana. They are:
~ The Southern Black Racer which is characterized by a black dorsum and slate gray or black venter;
~ The black-masked racer, characterized by a slate gray dorsum, a bluish gray venter and a broad black stripe behind the eye;
~ The eastern yellow-bellied racer, characterized by an olive green dorsum and a light yellow venter;
~ The tan racer, characterized by a light tan dorsum with some light spotting and a grayish white venter; and
~ The buttermilk racer, characterized by a blue, blue-black or blue-green dorsum with a variable amount of light spotting and a grayish white venter.
Racers are constrictors that kill their prey by wrapping around it until it is dead and then swallowing it whole.
Racers lay clutches of 6 to 18 granular white eggs from June through September in such places as soft moist soil beside decaying logs, in decaying wood pulp or in depressions in clumps of grass. The hatchlings don't look like the adults and have light-colored bodies with dark blotches along the back and sides.
(reference: Dundee, Harold A. and Douglas A. Rossman, The Amphibians and Reptiles of Louisiana)
Racer Subspecies
A. Southern black racer, Coluber constrictor priapus
B. Black-masked Racer, Coluber constrictor latrunculus
C. Eastern yellow-bellied racer, Coluber constrictor flaviventris
D. Tan racer, Coluber constrictor etheridgei
E. Buttermilk racer, Coluber constrictor anthicus
F. Juvenile racer, Coluber constrictor
*
*photo reference: Dundee, Harold A. and Douglas A. Rossman, The Amphibians and Reptiles of Louisiana
Adult Black Racer
The photo was taken early in the spring, when the weather was still cool. This Black Racer is still a little sluggish and is trying to warm its body in the sun.
Snakes of the Southeast
Young Black Racer
Notice the hint of blue where the sun is hitting the scales of this young Black Racer. This is why one of the common names of the species is Blue Runner.
Southern Black Racer Facts
The Southern Black Racer (Coluber constrictor priapus) is one of the more common subspecies of non-venomous snakes in the Southeastern United States. These snakes are quite active during the day, which increases the chance of sightings. They will eat almost any animal they can overpower, including, rodents, frogs, toads, and lizards. They have been known to charge at people in an attempt to frighten them, but will usually retreat ? if challenged. Members of this species generally do not tolerate handling ? even after months in captivity ? and will typically strike and flail wildly every time they are handled. These snakes are usually thin with a jet black dorsal side with a grey belly and white chin. They are quite fast, giving rise to the name "racer".
Baby Black Racers
Very young black racers are marked differently from the adult of the species. The young are speckled with black, white and tan spots.
Buy Young Black Racer by naturegirl7
Black Racers also have a reputation for biting when they are caught. It seems that they develop this defense mechanism very early in life as you can see by the picture below. We happily released the little bugger after the brief photo op.
Snakes of the U.S. and Canada
Snakes of the United States and Canada
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Black Racer YouTube Video
Samantha the Black Racer
Black Racer Sensing Our Presence
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Black Racer poster
Black Racer Blog Posts
- Identifying the Black Racer Snake of North America
- The black racer is a snake that many people encounter in the back yard, and as such has taken on quite the reputation. The black racer has been rumored to be.
- Your wild photos: Black racer snake spotted in Sawgrass Lake Park
- Your wild photos: Black racer snake spotted in Sawgrass Lake Park. Sawgrass Snake1. TampaBay.com reader Jim McKechney of St. Petersburg shot this photo of a black racer peeking out from the rootball of a fallen tree in Sawgrass Lake ...
- Black Racer Snake With Iguana Prey on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
- A black Cayman racer snake bites off more than he can swallow as he wrestles with this two-foot-long non-native green iguana. The snake itself was about four feet long, and grew very fed up with me and the camera's flash rather quickly.
- Floridana Alaskiana v2.5: Southern black racer snake, 12 August 2005
- Souther black racer (Coluber constrictor priapus) Lake Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge; Deleon Springs, Florida; 12 August 2005 I found this southern black racer during an unseasonably chilly morning at Lake Woodruff National Wildlife ...
Black Racer Photos
Snake in the Grass
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Race off a Comment!
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Reply
- naturegirl7 naturegirl7 Nov 15, 2009 @ 7:01 am
- We are so blessed to have a good population of beautiful black racers on our 9 acre backyard wildlife habitat.
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Reply
- beachbum_gabby beachbum_gabby Aug 19, 2009 @ 7:23 am
- awesome lens but still afraid to all kinds of snakes ^__^
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Reply
- AbbasAbedi AbbasAbedi Jun 5, 2009 @ 10:01 am
- Excellent Lens. 5*
If you get a chance check out my Instant Stress Management lens.
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- KimGiancaterino KimGiancaterino Apr 29, 2009 @ 9:11 pm
- Blessed by a Squid Angel.
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Reply
- Sarunas Sarunas Apr 27, 2009 @ 7:14 am
- Awesome lens.
I gave you 5 stars.
Keep it up. :)
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About Naturegirl7
Lensmaster naturegirl7 has been a member since April 22 2008, has rated 498 lenses, favorited 443, and has created 148 lenses from scratch. This member's top-ranked page is "7-up Cake Recipes". See all my lenses
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