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verification. (February 2023) |
Coluber constrictor etheridgei | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Order: | Squamata |
Suborder: | Serpentes |
Family: | Colubridae |
Genus: | Coluber |
Species: | |
Subspecies: | C. c. etheridgei
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Trinomial name | |
Coluber constrictor etheridgei
Wilson, 1970
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Coluber constrictor etheridgei, commonly known as the tan racer, is a subspecies of non venomous snake in the family Colubridae, a subspecies of the eastern racer (Coluber constrictor). The subspecies is native to the southern United States.
C. c. etheridgei is found in west-central Louisiana and adjacent eastern Texas. [1]
The subspecific name or epithet, etheridgei, is in honor of the American herpetologist Richard Emmett Etheridge. [2]
The tan racer, as its name implies, is typically a solid tan in color. [3] Juveniles have a pattern of dark brown dorsal blotches, [3] which fade to solid tan at about a year of age.[ citation needed] The underside is typically gray or white, sometimes with yellow spotting.[ citation needed] It typically grows from .75 – 1.5 m (30 to 60 inches) in total length (including tail).[ citation needed] It has large eyes, with round pupils, and excellent vision.[ citation needed]
Like all racers, the tan racer is diurnal and highly active.[ citation needed] Its diet consists of a wide variety of prey, but primarily includes rodents, and lizards.[ citation needed] It is fast moving, and generally seeks to use its speed to escape if approached.[ citation needed]
The tan racer prefers habitats of pine flatwoods.[ citation needed]
C. c. etheridgei is oviparous. [1] Mating occurs in the spring, and a clutch of approximately 30 eggs is laid typically in the month of May, to hatch mid summer.[ citation needed]