Southern Black Racer Snake

How do you tell the difference between a Black Rat Snake and a Southern Black Racer Snake? I've previously written about Black Rat Snakes and Juvenile Southern Black Racer Snakes. Now I am not so sure whether that previously stated Black Rat Snake was REALLY a Southern Black Racer Snake!!

Southern Black Racer Snake March 17, 2018

Saturday afternoon of St. Patrick's Day 2018, I had brought my large black rectangular planting container to the front garden. I was preparing to plant Chianti Hybrid Sunflower seeds. I left the container and came inside the house. It was as I stepped back outside that I saw the tail end of a black snake.

Southern Black Racer Snake March 17, 2018

This Southern Black Racer Snake looked a bit dirty on its body like it was rolling around in a dirt pile or climbed out of the ground. It was seeking refuge behind my coiled up black garden hose. I watched it as it coiled up out of view behind the hose. Chatting with the snake, it lifted its head to take a look at me.

Southern Black Racer Snake Head March 17, 2018

Take a closer look at the photo of that snake above. It had been chilling for maybe 20 minutes in the hose. I had been talking with a neighbor who stopped in front of my house. Looking to my left, I saw the Southern Black Racer Snake had lifted its head and was watching and listening to me. Pretty cute. Looking to the lower left, you can see a bit of the snake's coiled body that looks like a piece of garden hose!

Southern Black Racer Snake Head March 17, 2018

In this last photo, the curious snake has turned its head a bit and you can see its eye and lighter color under its mouth. It probably was another ten minutes later that I was standing in my side yard talking with the older couple next door that this snake decided to slip away. I'm not sure which way it went, but am guessing it might have slid through the opening in the stone under the side of the house.

Living in Jacksonville and now Leesburg, Florida, I have seen more snakes than I ever saw in my life!! Want to see other Florida snakes I've observed?

Check out my blog post on the Florida Scarlet Snake. In that post, I share photos of the Florida Scarlet Snake along with an adult Black Racer Snake, Common Garter Snake, and Water Moccasin Snake. Check out my other blog post on the Red Rat Snake for photographs of a really colorful snake.

In my blog post on the Black Rat Snake, I share multiple photos of several sightings of larger black snakes that I thought were Black Rat Snakes. Now, I am not 100% certain those are necessarily Black Rat Snakes, but maybe a Southern Black Racer Snake? The black snake I observed going through the back of my yard was quite large; easily 5 ft. or more in length!

Writing about the Juvenile Southern Black Racer Snake, that is such a pretty little snake with its reddish brown blotches and blue-gray body. The juvenile I observed coming up my driveway had a really feisty personality.

Beware of snakes on the internet known as the content scrapers!!