North American Racers are nonvenomous snakes with very smooth shiny scales. Their color variations range from black, bluish, gray, to olive brown. The head is narrow but still wider than the neck with very distinct brow ridges. The chin and throat areas vary from white to yellowish. Juvenile racers are strongly patterned with grays, browns, and reds which fades as they age.
Diet consists primarily of small rodents, other mammals, frogs, toads, small turtles, lizards, and other snakes.
The North American racers are fast-moving, highly active, diurnal snakes. They are curious snakes with excellent vision. They are visual hunters and are often seen raising their heads above the ground to get a better view of their surroundings, a behavior dubbed "periscoping" by snake enthusiasts. Aptly named, racers are very fast and typically flee from a potential predator. However, once cornered, they put up a vigorous fight, biting hard and often.
Racers are beneficial to humans in that they control rodent and insect pest populations
Least Concern
