Head to head
Antiguan Racer vs Racer
Antiguan Racer
VS Racer
The Antiguan racer and North American racer are two fast, non-venomous snakes with similar names, one confined to tiny Caribbean islets and the other found across a continent.
| Antiguan Racer | Racer | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Alsophis antiguae | Coluber constrictor |
| Look | A slim, pale grey-brown snake with dark bands, usually under a metre long | Varies enormously in colour by region, from glossy blue-black to blue to tan, with blotched young that lose the pattern as they grow |
| Diet | Small lizards, mainly anoles and geckos, which it chases down quickly | Insects, frogs, lizards, small snakes, rodents, shrews, and the eggs and nestlings of ground-nesting birds |
| Hunting | An active, quick hunter that runs its prey down | One of the fastest snakes in North America, hunting by sight and pinning small prey rather than constricting it |
| Range | Small islets and coastal scrub off the northeast coast of Antigua, mainly Great Bird Island | North America from southern Canada through almost all of the United States to Guatemala and Belize |
| Shelter | Lives on tiny islets, among scrub and rocks near the coast | In the colder parts of its range, overwinters in rock crevices and mammal burrows, often sharing dens with other snakes |
| Threats and recovery | Driven out of Antigua by mongooses and nearly wiped out by rats, and saved by removing the rats from its island refuges | Widespread and common across most of its range |
| Conservation status | Critically Endangered, though increasing | Least Concern |
Antiguan Racer vs Racer: common questions
How was the Antiguan racer saved?
Removing rats from its island refuges allowed its numbers to recover from around 50 individuals to several hundred.
Are either venomous?
No, both the Antiguan racer and the North American racer are non-venomous.
Is the racer a constrictor?
Despite its species name constrictor, the racer is a poor constrictor and mostly pins small prey to the ground.