Striped Racer

(Masticophis lateralis)

Color Photographs: Chris Brown, U.S. Geological Survey

Blue line indicates the wedge-shaped lower preocular scale in Masticophis lateralis

Striped Racer (Masticophis lateralis)

Identification: Snake 30 to 60 inches in length. Color dark brown to black. Side with a single yellow or orange stripe running from the neck to the tail. Underside yellow, tending to pink on the tail. Lower preocular scale small, triangular, wedged in between two of the upper labials (see figure on lower left). Dorsal scales smooth in 17 rows at the middle of the body; anal plate divided.

Geographical Variation:

California Striped Racer (M. l. lateralis): Lateral stripe yellow. Range: Most of the range of this species except for the San Francisco Bay region.

Alameda Striped Racer (M. l. euryxanthus): Lateral stripe orange. Range: San Francisco Bay Region of California.

Range (see map below): This species is found from Baja California in the south northwest throughout eastern western California and the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada, but absent from the Central Valley.

Habitat: The Striped Racer is most commonly found in brushy areas or in foothill areas with canyons, gullies, or stream runs. Although most common in foot hill regions of California, its habitat choices range upward into mixed pine-deciduous forest.

Food: Lizards, snakes, frogs, small mammals, and insects.

Behavior: The Striped Racer is a diurnal, active species and is often seen hunting with the head held high over the ground.

Reproduction:  The clutch consists of 6 to 11 eggs. The eggs are laid from late May to early July and hatch in August and September.

Striped Racer (Masticophis lateralis)

Similar Species:

Garter Snakes (Thamnophis species)

Striped Whipsnake (Masticophis taeniatus)

Sonoran Whipsnake (Masticophis bilineatus)

Coachwhip (Masticophis flagellum)