Coluber constrictor etheridgei


Coluber constrictor etheridgei, commonly known as the tan racer, is a nonvenomous colubrid snake, a subspecies of the eastern racer. It is endemic to the southern United States.

Geographic range

C. c. etheridgei is found in Louisiana and Texas.

Etymology

The subspecific name or epithet, etheridgei, is in honor of the American zoologist and paleontologist Richard Emmett Etheridge.

Description

The tan racer, as its name implies, is typically a solid tan in color. Juveniles have a pattern of dark brown dorsal blotches, which fade to solid tan at about a year of age. The underside is typically gray or white, sometimes with yellow spotting. It typically grows from.75 – 1.5 m in total length. It has large eyes, with round pupils, and excellent vision.

Behavior

Like all racers, the tan racer is diurnal and highly active. Its diet consists of a wide variety of prey, but primarily includes rodents, and lizards. It is fast moving, and generally seeks to use its speed to escape if approached.

Habitat

The tan racer prefers habitats of pine flatwoods.

Reproduction

Mating occurs in the spring, and a clutch of approximately 30 eggs is laid typically in the month of May, to hatch mid summer.