Western yellow-bellied racer
Subspecies of snake
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The western yellow-bellied racer (Coluber constrictor mormon),[1] also known as the western yellowbelly racer[2] or western racer,[1] is a snake subspecies endemic to the Western United States, including California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Montana and Colorado.[3][4] It is a subspecies of the eastern racer. It is nonvenomous[5] and is recognized by its long and very slender shape.[6][7] It is visually similar to the eastern yellow-bellied racer, which is also green, blue or brown with a recognizable yellow underside. Also named for its color, the western yellow-bellied racer is also gray with red or brown blotches when young.[8][9]
| Western yellow-bellied racer | |
|---|---|
| Closeup of the head of a western yellow-bellied racer in Washington state. | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Colubridae |
| Genus: | Coluber |
| Species: | |
| Subspecies: | C. c. mormon |
| Trinomial name | |
| Coluber constrictor mormon (Baird & Girard, 1852) | |