The Difference Between Ratsnakes and Racers

Ratsnakes and Racers are pretty widely distributed across the US. The two look similar and are easy to confuse. They are both harmless snakes, and both love to eat rodents (among other things), offering free pest control to your yard and home. Both species can grow quite large, where adults can average 4 feet, some getting up to 6 feet.

As with all snake identification, telling them apart simply takes practice. Once you get the hang of it you’ll be surprised how you ever got them confused!  Here’s a few of our favorite articles on this topic:

Article by Papa Pepper: How to tell the difference between a Racer and a Black ratsnake

A post in our Facebook group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/snakeED/permalink/1736596296580945/

Related:  Snakebite Management (in hospital) - Pit Vipers

About

Wild Snakes : Education and Discussion My “regular” job is a web developer and I.T. nerd. I utilize these skills to maintain the WSED.org website, and build more of a social media presence for our mission. How did I get into snakes? A few years ago, I stumbled upon the Snake Identification group and really became obsessed with learning about and how to ID snakes. I joined the staff in October of 2017, and consider it a real honor. I learn so much every day from my team and our members. Our only goal is to help people learn and become as fascinated as we are with these extraordinary creatures. I’m also raising my daughter to love snakes as much as I do!

View all posts by

Leave a Reply