Coluber constrictor foxii
| Coluber constrictor foxii | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Colubridae |
| Genus: | Coluber |
| Species: | C. constrictor |
| Subspecies: | C. c. foxii |
| Trinomial name | |
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Coluber constrictor foxii (Baird & Girard, 1853) |
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| Synonyms | |
Coluber constrictor foxii, commonly known as the blue racer, is a subspecies of Coluber constrictor, a species of nonvenomous, colubrid snakes commonly referred to as the eastern racers. They are currently endangered.
Blue racers prefer open and semi-open habitat, savanna, old field shoreline, and edge habitats. It is likely that a mosaic of these habitats is required to fulfill the ecological needs of C. c. foxii.
In the United States: Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Oregon, Washington, South Dakota and Iowa are now the only states with extant populations of blue racer. Western South Dakota has a thriving population of blue racers though. The last reliable record of the blue racer on mainland Canada was in Ontario in 1983. On Pelee Island in Ontario, the blue racer is restricted to the eastern two thirds of the island.
Blue racers often have creamy white ventral scales, dull grey to brilliant blue lateral scales, and pale brown to dark grey dorsums. They also have characteristic black masks, relatively large eyes, and often have brownish-orange rostral scales (snouts). Unlike adults, hatchlings and yearlings (first full active season) have dorsal blotches that fade completely by the third year; however, juvenile patterning is still visible on the venter until late in the snake's third season.
The blue racer is one of Ontario's largest snakes, reaching 90 cm to 152 cm snout-to-vent length (SVL). The largest documented specimen captured on Pelee Island was 138 cm SVL. Although there has been some controversy regarding the designation of C.c. foxii as a subspecies distinct from C.c. flaviventris (the yellow-bellied racers), most recent authorities agree that the subspecies C.c. foxii is valid.
Blue racers seem to be relatively intolerant of high levels of human activity and for most of the active season they remain in areas of low human density. Evidence to suggest this comes largely from radio telemetry data from both blue racers and eastern fox snakes that inhabited the same general areas on Pelee Island (although studies were not conducted concurrently). In contrast to blue racers, fox snakes were often found under front porches, in barns/garages, and in the foundations of houses; whereas, most (but not all) blue racers were observed in more "natural" settings. Therefore, blue racers are more confined to areas with minimal anthropogenic activity. Campbell and Perrin also noted that racers were among the first snakes to disappear from suburban areas.
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Wikipedia