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/
