Some text fragments are auto parsed from Wikipedia. These perching and soaring birds have keen eyesight and drop down from above to capture Black Racers and other snakes thus making their speed and ground awareness ineffectual. Instead, it grabs its target, holds it tight with its jaws and presses it into the ground until it stops struggling. At least not in the way we think of constrictors. Natural enemies include such birds of prey as hawks including the Red-shouldered Hawk and Broad-winged Hawk. The southern black racer is known in the scientific world as Coluber constrictor, but it doesn't constrict its prey as the name suggests. Racers are nonvenomous and do not breed with Cottonmouths. The venomous snake has a white lining inside of its mouth. The white chin causes many people to kill this snake, believing that it is a Cottonmouth-a venomous snake more commonly called a Water Moccasin. Many are killed on highways and others are intentionally killed out of fear. Man remains the biggest enemy of Black Racers. Despite its specific name ''constrictor'', the Racer is more likely to suffocate or crush its victim into the ground rather than coiling around it in typical constrictor fashion. The book is available at all of the bookstores on Sanibel Island, at Baileys, at Jerry’s and many online sites.The Southern Black Racer is a predator that relies on lizards, insects, moles, birds, eggs, small snakes, rodents, and frogs. This is an excerpt from “The Living Gulf Coast – A Nature Guide to Southwest Florida” by Charles Sob-czak. When spotted crossing a trail or road, it vanishes into the understory with amazing swiftness. The black racer is extremely quick and agile, making it difficult to catch. It is preyed on by red-shouldered hawks, owls, and larger snakes. Its diet includes brown and green anoles, insects, moles, birds, frogs, eggs, smaller snakes, and rodents. It tends to chase down, bite, then suffocate or crush its victims on the ground rather than coiling around them in true constrictor fashion. It will continue to bite its captors throughout its life span and repeatedly bash its head against a glass enclosure until it seriously injures itself.ĭespite its scientific middle name (constrictor), the black racer is not a true constrictor. It cannot be domesticated and should not be kept as a pet. It will rattle its tail in the grass or dry leaves when cornered or threatened, imitating the eastern diamondback rattlesnake. The black racer is nonvenomous but will inflict a nasty bite if grabbed. The black racer has one of the most extensive ranges of any North American snake, extending to the Canadian border, west to Washington, and east to Maine. One reason for the frequent sightings is that the black racer is a diurnal hunter, so it is out at the same time when most people are working in their yards, biking, or doing other activities that might bring them into contact with this snake. The reptile was found in the streets of a small village in the Tabanan region by locals and the two heads are connected just past the eyes. The most commonly seen snake in this region, the southern black racer is also one of the most common in Florida. This Southern black racer snake has two heads that move apart from each other, but a similar creature found in Bali last year is not as fortunate. Various sub-species and color variations extend the range of the yellow rat snake across most of the eastern U.S., as far west as western Texas.Ī a yellow rat snake eating a Cuban tree frog. Unlike the black racer, the yellow rat snake takes readily to humans, and after it becomes socialized, seldom bites. It is also eaten by raccoons, bobcats, and otters. The yellow rat snake is preyed upon by hawks, ospreys, eagles, and owls. It has nowhere near the speed of the black racer on the ground. Extremely arboreal, the yellow rat snake can often be spotted climbing into trees and up onto porches, rooftops, and rafters. It also preys upon birds, frogs, lizards, eggs, insects, and small mammals. The yellow rat snake is one of the leading predators of invasive black and brown rats and is therefore very beneficial to wildlife. It seizes its prey, then coils its muscular body around the animal, slowly constricting the life out of it through suffocation. Nonetheless, it should never be picked up or handled. It is non-venomous, however, and aside from a nasty bite, will not cause any real harm to a person. Growing to lengths of seven feet, with a circumference about the same size as a man’s wrist, this snake can be quite startling when you happen upon one. After the black racer, the yellow rat snake is the second most commonly seen snake on Sanibel and Captiva, and in much of Southwest Florida.
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