Racer

Breeding:
Mates April to late May in most of range 1-2 months earlier in Deep South. Female lays 5-28 leathery eggs with a rough granular texture. 1-1 7/8” long, in rotting tree stump, sawdust pile, under rocks or in small mammal tunnel, mid-June to August. Occasionally a number of females deposit their eggs in a communal nest. Young hatch in 6-9 weeks, July to September, are 8-13” long. Mature I n2-3 years.

Habitat:
Abandoned fields, grassland, spars brushy area along prairie land, open woodland, mountain meadow, rocky streams, and pine flat woods; sea leave to ca. 7,000.

Range:
S. British Columbia and extreme S Ontario; every state in continental United States, except Alaska; scatted population though E. México to N. Guatemala.

Subspecies:
Eleven poorly defined. Northern Black, slate black, upper lip scales black, some white on chin, iris of eye brown; s. Maine to e. Ohio south to N. South Carolina, n. Georgia, n. Alabama, and ne. Mississippi. Buttermilk, black bluish-black or bluish-green, olive-green, gray or brown above, belly cream to bright yellow; e. Montana, w. North Dakota, and Iowa south to extreme n  Aransas, and the Gulf coast of SE. Texas and W. Louisiana Blue, pale-blue or bluish-green above, belly white or bluish-white, extreme S. Ontario and nw Ohio west to se Minnesota, e. Iowa, and Illinois. Brown-chinned, slate black, lip scales and chin tan or brown Apalachicola and Chipolata River valleys in Florida panhandle and adjacent Georgia.
Black-masked, slate-gray above, belly pale grayish-blue, black stripe behind eye; se Louisiana.
Western Yellow-bellied or green, olive-green, yellowish-brown, reddish-brown above, belly yellow. s. British Columbia to Baja California east to sw Montana, w. Wyoming, and w. Colorado.
Mexican, midline of back green or greenish-gray, sides lighter, belly yellow, or greenish-yellow, adults 20-40” long; s. Texas and México.
Everglades, bluish-greenish-, or brownish-gray above, belly whitish with pale gray or powder blue markings, iris of eye usually red; S. Florida Everglades region and Cape Canaveral are of e. Florida.
Southern Black, resembles Northern Black, more white on chin, iris of eye usually red or orange; coastal plain from extreme se North Carolina to Florida Everglades ( and lower Florida Keys) west to se Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, se Okalahoma and adjacent Texas; north in Mississippi Valley to s. Illinois and S. Indiana. Diurnal.

May be encountered in most any terrestrial situation except atop high mountains and in hottest deserts. Often observed streaking across roads. Although agile and a good climber, it spends most of its time on the ground. When hunting, it holds it head high and moves swiftly through cover. Often hibernates in rocky hillsides in large numbers and with other species. When annoyed it may make a buzzing sound like a rattler by vibrating the tail tip in dead vegetation. If grabbed, it will bite repeatedly and thrash about violently. Eats large insects, frogs, lizards, snakes, mall rodents, and birds.