Black-striped Snake / Indigo Snake / Racer (or similar dark-colored colubrid, noting the distinctive lateral undulating posture)
Drymarchon corais cf. or Coluber constrictor cf. • Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Colubridae, Subfamily: Colubrinae, Genus: Drymarchon, Species: Drymarchon corais
Americas, ranging from the southern United States through Central America and into northern and central South America.
Look up Black-striped Snake / Indigo Snake / Racer (or similar dark-colored colubrid, noting the distinctive lateral undulating posture) in the Snake Encyclopedia →Family
Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Colubridae, Subfamily: Colubrinae, Genus: Drymarchon, Species: Drymarchon corais
Conservation
IUCN Red List status is generally Least Concern for widespread members of this complex, though local populations face threats from habitat fragmentation, road mortality, and intentional killing.
Physical Description
Solid dark or black coloration with a robust body. The scales appear strongly keeled or highly textured, and the body shows a distinctive rhythmic lateral undulating or sinusoidal resting/locomotion pattern. The head is relatively distinct from the neck with round pupils.
Size & Dimensions
Estimated specimen length is approximately 1.2 to 1.5 meters. Typical adults range from 1.2 to 2.6 meters depending on the specific species within the complex, with maximum lengths exceeding 2.5 meters.
Habitat
Inhabits a wide variety of habitats including dry tropical forests, savannahs, scrublands, agricultural fields, and edges of rainforests, typically from sea level up to moderate elevations.
Diet & Feeding
Generalist predators feeding on a wide variety of vertebrates including rodents, birds, lizards, amphibians, and other snakes. They are active diurnal foragers relying on speed, strength, and constriction to subdue prey.
Reproduction
Oviparous species that typically lay clutches ranging from 5 to 20 or more eggs during the spring or early summer, with incubation lasting around two to three months.
Look-alikes
Frequently confused with other large black snakes such as indigo snakes, black racers (Coluber constrictor), or certain black morphs of rat snakes (Pantherophis). Distinguishing features include scale texture, head plate arrangements, and geographic locality.
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List status is generally Least Concern for widespread members of this complex, though local populations face threats from habitat fragmentation, road mortality, and intentional killing.
Cultural Significance
Important predators in local ecosystems assisting in the natural regulation of rodent and pest populations. In some regional folklore, they are respected for keeping farms free of venomous species.
Notable Features
Exhibits a pronounced stereotypical wavy or sinusoidal body posture often used during defensive displays or slow movement through grass, creating a visual disruption that mimics blowing vegetation or breaking up the snake's silhouette.