![]() ![]() ( Harding, 1997 Morris, 1944) Contributors This is one of the largest snake species in Michigan (Harding 1997). When the Swedish naturalist Linnaeus first described and named this species in 1758, he may have had it confused with the Black Rat Snake ( Pantherophis obsoletus), which is a true constrictor (Morris, 1944). The species name "constrictor" would lead one to think this is a constricting snake. State of Michigan List No special status.Then they have few places to hide, little to eat, and people who find them often kill them, even though they are harmless. All racers have problems when their habitat is destroyed to build farms, houses, and other buildings. It is becoming more uncommon in Michigan.Ĭhemical pesticides harm young racers. A few states (Maine and Louisiana) and the Canadian province of Ontario give it some legal protection because it is rare there. This species is still abundant in some places. Ways that people benefit from these animals:.Racers are beneficial to humans in that they destroy rodent and insect pests (Harding, 1997). Ways that these animals might be a problem for humans. ![]() If handled or harassed, they may bite, but will not deliberately confront a human. Racers have no known neagtive impact on humans. What roles do they have in the ecosystem?Ĭoluber constrictor is a mid-level predator, eating many kinds of smaller animals, but in turn eaten by larger predators. domestic dogs ( Canis lupus familiaris).Racers are eaten by birds, dogs, cats, and coyotes. What eats them and how do they avoid being eaten? As racers grow, they take larger prey as well, including nestling birds and their eggs, other mammals as large as squirrels and small cottontail rabbits, small turtles and larger snakes. Juvenile racers eat mainly insects, spiders, small frogs, small reptiles (including lizards and snakes and their eggs) and young rodents and shrews. ( Conant and Collins, 1998 Harding, 1997)Īs with many snakes, vision and olfaction are important percptual channels for racers. These snakes are diurnal, they are mainly active during the day. The young racers' color patterns probably mean they use camouflage for escape from predators. The racer is not venomous, but the painful bite and sharp teeth may cause bleeding. If cornered, Coluber constrictor will coil and strike while shaking its tail nervously. If threatened, a racer will quickly crawl into brush or low branches of a tree to escape. Racers are fast snakes, but they still can only crawl at about 4 miles per hour (6.5 km/hr), about the speed of a human walking fast. In the wild, racers have been known to live over 10 years. Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male) 1 to 2 years.Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female) 2 to 3 years.How often does reproduction occur? Mating takes place in the spring, from late April until early June.Sometimes, the eggs are found grouped with the eggs of other snake species. Racers mate in the spring and lay 3-32 oval-shaped eggs in early summer underneath tree stumps or in animal burrows. These animals are found in the following types of habitat. ![]() During the coldest winter months, racers hibernate in underground shelters. Racers live in dry, sunny areas such as old farm fields, grass meadows, thin forests, and swamps. ( Conant and Collins, 1998 Ernst and Barbour, 1998) These snakes can be found in every state of the U.S, including Michigan's southern lower peninsula. Racers are found from southern Canada to Guatemala and almost everywhere in between.
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