One of your friendly neighborhood snakes
The black racer (Coluber constrictor) is a great friend to a Florida friendly landscape. Black racers earned their name for the speed they possess when fleeing from predators and catching the occasional prey. Unlike many snakes that are nocturnal, the black racer is purely diurnal. You’ll often see these snakes basking in shrubs or out in the grass when they aren’t on the prowl for their next snack. Their prey consists of vermin and lizards, with the occasional bird egg and frog making it into the mix. When the opportunity arises, these snakes have even been known to eat venomous snakes! Young hatchlings are primarily insectivores, which is great for removing nuisance insects from the lawn and garden. When black racers first hatch, they have a distinctively different color pattern from their parent.
Initially, the young mimic the Pygmy rattler to scare off potential predators, even going so far as shaking their tails in dry leaves to sound like the much more dangerous Pygmy rattler. Once they reach several months of age, they loose their misleading disguise in favor for their true jet black color. They do retain their tail shaking scare tactic into adulthood when cornered, but it’s easy to tell they are not a rattler due to their color and tendency to flee rather than stand their ground. So the next time you are out in the yard and you see a black racer passing by, remember they are a welcome sight and a sign of a healthy and safe eco system.
-Andy Latchaw
