Coluber constrictor flaviventris
| Coluber constrictor flaviventris | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Eastern yellowbelly racer | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Colubridae |
| Genus: | Coluber |
| Species: | C. constrictor |
| Subspecies: | C. c. flaviventris |
| Trinomial name | |
| Coluber constrictor flaviventris Say, 1823 | |
| Synonyms | |
Coluber constrictor flaviventris, commonly known as the eastern yellowbelly racer, is a subspecies of racer, a nonvenomous, colubrid snake. It is endemic to North America.[3]
Description
The eastern yellowbelly racer is a thin-bodied snake, capable of attaining a total length of 1.5 metres (60 inches). As an adult, its color is an olive grey-green, with a yellow underside. As a juvenile it is remarkably different, having a tan or cream-colored body with brown or grey blotches. The color gradually changes as the snake ages, becoming solid olive grey-green. Authors disagree as to when this transformation is complete, from 1½ to three years old, and from 18 to 30 inches (46-76 cm) in total length.[4]
Geographic range
The eastern yellowbelly racer is found in the United States, from the states of Montana, North Dakota, east to Iowa and south to Texas, and southwest to Louisiana. It is also found in isolated populations in Canada.[5]
Conservation status
Coluber constrictor flaviventris is listed as an endangered species in the province of Saskatchewan.
Behavior
Racers are diurnal, active predators. They are fast moving, and are often quick to bite if handled. They generally eat rodents, lizards, and frogs, but as juveniles they will also consume various kinds of soft bodied insect. They are fairly nervous snakes, and as such, do not typically fare well in captivity.
References
- 1 2 The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org
- ↑ Stejneger, L., and T. Barbour. 1917. A Check List of North American Amphibians and Reptiles. Harvard University Press. Cambridge, Massachusetts. 125 pp. (Coluber constrictor flaviventris, p. 79.)
- ↑ Integrated Taxonomic Information Sysyem (ITIS). www.itis.gov.
- ↑ Wright, A.H., & A.A. Wright. 1957. Handbook of Snakes of the United States and Canada. Comstock. Ithaca & London. 1,105 pp. (in 2 volumes) (Coluber constrictor flaviventris, pp. 138-142, Figure 44., Map 16.)
- ↑ Conant, R. 1975. A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Second Edition. Houghton Mifflin. Boston. 429 pp. ISBN 0-395-19977-8 (paperback). (Coluber constrictor flaviventris, pp. 179-180 + Plate 26 + Map 139.)
Further reading
- Say, T. in James, E. 1823. Account of an Expedition from Pittsburgh to the Rocky Mountains, Performed in the Years 1819, 1820. By Order of the Hon. J.C. Calhoun, Secretary of War, Under the Command of Maj. S.H. Long, of the U.S. Top. Engineers. Compiled from the Notes of Major Long, Mr. T. Say, and other Gentlemen of the Party. In Three Volumes. Volume I. Longman, Hurst, Reese, Orme, and Brown. London.
vii + 344 pp. (Coluber flaviventris, pp. 167, 337-338.)