Northern Black Racer

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Northern Black Racer

April 14, 2013 by Mike Powell

When I came across this fairly large snake, which I think is a Northern Black Racer snake (Coluber constrictor constrictor), I was happy that I had a fairly long telephoto lens.

He looked to be about 48 inches long (1.2 meters) and was partially coiled on top of a bush at the edge of the beaver pond at my local marsh. Although he was basking in the sun, he was definitely alert, which was one of the reasons why I was very cautious. The photo provides a close-up view of his head, but it was shot with my zoom lens at about 340mm, so I was not close and personal with him.

Wikipedia notes that this snake usually swallows its prey alive, despite the “constrictor” in its Latin name. Although these snakes will try to avoid predators, “once cornered they put up a vigorous fight, biting hard and often.” I’ll definitely keep that in mind.

One other interesting bit of trivia that I discovered about the Northern Black Racer snake (and I recognize that I could be wrong in my identification) is that the snake was designated as the official state reptile of Ohio in 1995.

Posted in Macro Photography, Nature, Photography, Reptiles | Tagged black racer, Canon Rebel XT, Coluber constrictor constrictor, Huntley Meadows Park, Northern Black Racer snake, racer, Sigma 135-400mm telephoto zoom lens | 6 Comments

6 Responses

on April 14, 2013 at 10:00 am | Reply Jim Miller

Indeed. A long lens is the only way I’ll get up close and personal with any snake. Well shot, Michael.
- on April 14, 2013 at 2:14 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Jim. I was pretty sure that he was not poisonous, but I don’t like to take any chances.
on April 14, 2013 at 5:20 pm | Reply lylekrahn

That biting hard and often could be a deal …
on April 14, 2013 at 8:14 pm | Reply krikitarts

I have some experience with this fellow. While I was living in Vienna (VA) several years ago, a few of these were around and, with a modicum of confidence in my past experiences with various wildlife, I had a pretty close encounter, picking one–of about the same size–up with a sturdy branch with a fork at the end in one hand, and my camera in the other. It tolerated my manipulations more or less passively for about a minute, but then started snapping at my hand at the other end of the branch, rather persistently. Discretion stepped in, and I let it go on its way. I can send you a photo of the encounter, if you wish. Your use of the long lens is a good choice. They are not venomous, but their saliva can lead to infection if they get in a good bite.
- on April 14, 2013 at 8:23 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  I’d love to see the photos (and glad to know that you are around still to tell the story).
on April 15, 2013 at 6:41 am | Reply New Hampshire Gardener

I wonder if you have poisonous snakes in that area?