Description: Most adult Northern Black Racers are about 20-56 inches in total length, with a record length recorded of 72 inches. This is a long and slender snake with smooth scales in 17 dorsal rows at midbody. Adults are black or bluish/black with white or brown and white markings on the chin and throat. The belly is grayish to black and without any markings. The head is only slightly distinct from the neck. The pupil is round, and the eyes are large and prominent. Juveniles are gray with distinct reddish-brown blotches running down the back of the head and body that gradually fade into a solid-colored tail. The juvenile pattern gradually changes to the adult pattern and is completely replaced after about two years.

Habitat: Northern black racer are a terrestrial species and are found in open, grassy areas or in open forest adjacent to grassy areas. They prefer dryer habitats. They will inhabit urban and agricultural areas, barrier islands, and grasslands in mountains. The Northern black racer will seek refuge under objects like logs, rocks, and other debris during the night or on cool days.

Range: Coluber constrictor constrictor ranges from Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi in the south, to central New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine in the north, to Tennessee, Kentucky, and eastern Ohio in the west. At the southern end of its range, it overlaps with Coluber constrictor priapus, the southern black racer, and at the westward end it overlaps with Coluber constrictor flaviventris, the eastern yellow-bellied racer.

Found in these States: AL | CT | DE | FL | GA | IN | KY | MA | MD | ME | NC | NH | NJ | NY | OH | PA | RI | SC | TN | VA | VT | WV

Diet: Racers are opportunistic and diurnal predators with a diet as varied as their choice of habitat. They are known to feed on small mammals, birds and their eggs, lizards, turtles, snakes, frogs, salamanders, fishes, insects and spiders. In Florida, frogs, lizards, and small snakes make up the majority of their diet. Despite their scientific name (Coluber constrictor), racers are not true constrictors and overpower their prey by simply grabbing it in their jaws and pressing it against the ground until it stops struggling or by quickly swallowing it alive

Reproduction: Females lay around 1-36 white oval eggs, which typically hatch between May and October. The eggs are often laid in loose debris such as leaf litter, sand, or rotting logs.

Status: Listed as Least Concern in view of its wide distribution, tolerance of a broad range of habitats, presumed large population, and because it is unlikely to be declining fast enough to qualify for listing in a more threatened category.

Taxonomy: