Our study benefits the conservation of native snakes by elucidating space requirements and providing a baseline for comparisons between contiguous and fragmented landscapes.

The body temperatures of rat snakes were significantly greater aboveground (26.9 ± 0.3☌) than underground (26.1 ± 0.2☌). The body temperatures of racers were significantly greater in woody (30.7 ± 0.4☌) than in grassy habitats (29.8 ± 0.3☌). By analyzing the autocorrelation of locations (Mantel correlograms), we found that racers exhibited irregular movements, whereas rat snakes exhibited long periods of inactivity between directed movements. As a juvenile it is remarkably different, having a tan or cream-colored body with brown or grey blotches. As an adult, its color is an olive grey-greenwith a yellow underside. The minimum convex polygon (MCP) home range averaged 11.45 ha (SE = 3.06, n = 12) for racers and 15.06 ha (SE = 2.48, n = 12) for rat snakes. The eastern yellow-bellied racer is a thin-bodied snake, capable of attaining a total length of 1.5 metres (60 inches). Although racers (mean = 67.3 ± 10.6 m, n = 12) and rat snakes (mean = 41.3 ± 4.7 m, n = 12) differed in the distance moved per day, they did not differ significantly in home-range size.

We monitored Eastern Yellow-Bellied Racers (Coluber constrictor flaviventris) from 2006 to 2008 and Great Plains Rat Snakes (Pantherophis emoryi) from 2007 to 2008 at the Konza Prairie Biological Station in the northern Flint Hills. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. We conducted a radiotelemetry study with the use of temperature-sensitive transmitters to characterize the spatial ecology of two species of snakes within a portion of this contiguous grassland. COSEWIC assessment and status report on the Eastern Yellow-bellied Racer Coluber constrictor flaviventris and Western Yellow-bellied Racer Coluber constrictor mormon in Canada. The Flint Hills region of Kansas and Oklahoma encompasses the largest, contiguous tallgrass prairie in North America and is an important conservation area for many tallgrass-prairie species. The western yellow-bellied racer (Coluber constrictor mormon) is a subspecies that can be found in eastern Washington as well as California, Nevada. Hatchlings are lighter than the adults and usually strongly patterned with darker dorsal saddles. Ventral color varies from cream to bright yellow. The eastern yellow-bellied racer is found in the United States, from the states of Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, east to Iowa, south to Texas and. Dorsally and laterally it may be bluish to gray or greenish. They reach maturity when they are around 2 years old.Spatial ecology of eastern yellow-bellied Racer (Coluber constrictor flaviventris) and Great Plains rat snake (Pantherophis emoryi) in a contiguous tallgrass-prairie landscapeĪutocorrelation, Body temperature, Coluber constrictor, Flint Hills, Home range, Movement, Pantherophis emoryi, Radiotelemetry, Snake, Space use This large (to 5 feet but often a bit smaller) racer is variable in appearance. The female lays three to 30 eggs in a hidden nest, such as a hollow log, an abandoned rodent burrow, or under a rock. The eastern racer is a species of nonvenomous snake in the family Colubridae. It mates in the spring from April until early June. Eastern Yellow-bellied Racers breed in the spring and females lay from 312 eggs, sometimes communally. They are hard to hold and will poop, and release a bad smelling liquid from their cloacae. Most adult North American Racers are about 20-56 inches (50-142 cm) in total length. They are sometimes seen raising their heads above the grass where they are crawling to see what is around them. The eastern racers are fast, very active, diurnal snakes. They overcome moving prey by wrapping into one or two coils pressing its prey to hold it so that it can swallow it alive. They are also distinctive from their yellow bellies and brown to teal green hues. They grow up to 24 to 42 inches (61 to 107 cm) long, and as their names suggest, they are pretty fast on land. They are a subspecies of the Eastern Racer, colubrid snake. Young eastern racers usually insects with soft bodies, such as crickets and moths. Eastern Yellow-bellied Racers are found in the Eastern parts of Colorado.

Some subspecies are known to climb trees to eat eggs and young birds. They mainly eat small rodents, frogs, toads, lizards, and other snakes. They are usually not far from a place to hide. Most of the eastern racers like open, grassland habitats where their eyesight and speed can be used. It may be found in shrubs and trees where there are bird nests. It spends most of its time on the ground. It is usually found near water, but it can also be found in bushes, trash piles, roadsides, and swamps. Eastern Yellow-bellied Racer - Coluber constrictor flaviventris Say, 1823 Click on a picture for a larger view: Blue range of C.

Eastern yellow bellied racer