Stats

Lifespan: 10-20 yrs
Size: Medium
Diet: Carnivore
Activity: Diurnal
Social: Solitary
Biome: Temperate grassland
Range: North America
Movement: Slithering
Breeding: Egg-laying
Defense: Speed
Status: Common

About

The North American Racer is a slender, fast-moving snake usually seen with smooth, uniformly dark scales and a pale belly, often gliding through grasslands and woodland edges with its head raised above the vegetation. Despite the species name "constrictor," it does not actually constrict prey, instead pinning small animals with its body and swallowing them alive.

Life cycle

1.
hatchling
A miniature snake emerges from the egg or from its mother (live-bearers), already venomous or strong-coiled in some species.
2.
juvenile
A juvenile sheds its skin, grows quickly, and hunts smaller prey than the adults.
3.
adult
Fully grown at adult length and pattern.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Colubridae
Genus: Coluber
Species: Coluber constrictor