Eastern Yellow-belly Racer in Missouri

The Racer is my most frequently encountered snake in Missouri (and even my backyard in Colorado). It’s also easily the most aggressive snake I’ve even encountered. If cornered or grabbed, most individuals will strike repeatedly. Many snake species just try to get away without trying to strike.  Like all snakes though, the non-venomous Racer is a friend to humans; it doesn’t pursue or attack if unprovoked, and eats rodents. It’s a large snake, reaching 5 ft in length. When a large individual starts sprinting in the open you’re unlikely to catch it. When pursued, Racers can quickly climb up trees. A behavior that I find interesting is that they raise their head up like a cobra to get a better view. Once when I came across a racer in the forest, he spotted me, but didn’t think I saw him yet. Instead of fleeing, he raised his body up above a log so he could check me out. It was quite amusing to see this. Racers from Missouri have a very dark gray dorsum and a cream-colored ventrum. With only a quick look they can easily be confused with the similar Black Rat Snake who has a glossy black dorsum and white ventrum. Very young EYB Racers look much different than adults, with beautiful redish dorsal spots.