RACER

any of several large, swift snakes belonging to the family Colubridae. Blue racers are central and western North American subspecies of Coluber constrictor; they are plain bluish, greenish blue, gray, or brownish, sometimes with yellow bellies. The eastern subspecies is called black snake; it is all black except for its whitish chin and throat. (For the similar pilot black snake, see rat snake.) The young of all subspecies are blotched or spotted. C. constrictor ranges from southern Canada to Guatemala, and another Coluber subspecies is found in northeastern Asia. Despite its scientific name, constrictor, it does not kill by constriction; it holds down its preyusually a small warm-blooded animalby the weight of its coils, then swallows it. Racers are slender and long-tailed, with big eyes and smooth scales. Some are 1.8 m (about 6 feet) long. They are active by day and are among the fastest of snakes, moving at a speed of about 5.6 km (3.5 miles) per hour on the ground and through bushes. If cornered they vibrate the tail and strike repeatedly with a sideways motion of the head that leaves a victim's skin torn. In the western United States, colour phases of the coachwhip are called red racers and western black racers. Compare coachwhip.