Eastern Ratsnake vs. North American Racer

Big black snakes are the commonest snake mix-up in Virginia (Herping Virginia): the ratsnake against the racer. A: White chin and throat, and a black-and-white checkerboard on the front of the belly in the Eastern Ratsnake; white only on the chin; the belly plain dark grey in the North American Racer. B: A loaf-of-bread cross-section: flat belly and straight sides; weakly keeled scales in the Eastern Ratsnake; round in cross-section, slim, with smooth, glossy scales and big eyes in the North American Racer. C: Grey with big dark saddles and a dark bar across the head in the Eastern Ratsnake; rows of small oval blotches, fading toward the tail in the North American Racer. Ratsnakes climb and freeze or kink up; racers flee fast across the ground.

Photographs via iNaturalist under Creative Commons licences; the photographers are credited on the sheet.

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