dry leaves, racers can sound convincingly like rattlesnakes. Habitat C. constrictor is found frequently near water, but also in brush, trash piles, roadsides, and swamps, and in suburbia; it is the most common snake in residential neighborhoods in Florida. It spends most of its time on the ground, but it is a good tree climber and may be found in shrubs and trees where bird nests can be raided for eggs and chicks, as well as small adult birds such as finches, canaries, and thrashers. Most of the eastern racers prefer open, grassland-type habitats where their keen eyesight and speed can be readily used, but they are also found in light forest and even semiarid regions. They are usually not far from an area of cover for hiding. Reproduction In C. constrictor, mating takes place in the spring from April until early June. Around a month later, the female lays three to 30 eggs in a hidden nest site, such as a hollow log, an abandoned rodent burrow, or under a rock. The juveniles hatch in the early fall. A newborn is 8–10 in (20–26 cm) in total length. Maturity is reached around 2 years old. Eastern racers have been known to lay their eggs in communal sites, where a number of snakes, even those from other species, all lay their eggs together. Symbol The northern black racer is the state reptile of Ohio. Subspecies Coluber constrictor anthicus (Cope, 1862) – buttermilk racer Coluber constrictor constrictor Linnaeus, 1758 – northern black racer Coluber constrictor etheridgei Wilson, 1970 – tan racer Coluber constrictor flaviventris Say, 1823 – eastern yellow-bellied racer Coluber constrictor foxii (Baird & Girard, 1853) – blue racer Coluber constrictor helvigularis Auffenberg, 1955 – brown-chinned racer Coluber constrictor latrunculus Wilson, 1970 – black-masked racer Coluber constrictor oaxaca (Jan, 1863) – Mexican racer Coluber constrictor paludicola Auffenberg & Babbitt, 1955 – Everglades racer Coluber constrictor priapus Dunn & Wood, 1939 – southern black racer Coluber constrictor mormon (Baird & Girard, 1852) – western yellow-bellied racer Gallery References External links "Black Snakes": Identification and Ecology - University of Florida fact sheet. Coluber constrictor, University of Michigan, Animal Diversity Web. Racer, Reptiles and Amphibians of Iowa. Further reading Behler, John L.; King, F. Wayne (1979). The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. 743 pp., 657 color plates. . (Coluber constrictor, pp. 596–599 +