I had a good ride today and saw this very cool Red Racer stretched across the trail. He was pretty mellow until he decided I was too close, then he was gone. Beautiful snake. ~R
Now, you gotta go and get all technical. :?::lol: Yes, it's a cool herp. I think I'll continue to call it a Red Racer.
I've never seen one. Is this the first you've seen there, Reed? I'd like to get some more pics of one.
Ricky's got my back... Say it with me: Coach-Whip.... Racers are Masticophis flagellum piceus Although they look similar, the one you saw is definitely C. flagellum piceaus
No they are not VENOMOUS. Using mtDNA sequence data we identified five genetically distinct lineages of M. flagellum occurring within areas of the San Joaquin Valley, Western Mojave, Western Riverside County, California deserts, and Baja California.
very cool, I dont think I would have seen this snake out there unless i was pushin my bike up to top.
thats an awesome coahwhip, Theyre awesome, super intelligent snakes. I had one recently that came from a rescue
Sorry Fred. I actually thought they were the same snake. I did a quick search and came up with picks and descriptions that led me to believe it was the same snake but with one colloquial name and another scientific name. My bad. And thanks for the correction. ~R Well, seeing as I can't get my type of snake right I surely can't see if I've seen others, right?:lol: I have seen what we called Red Racers when I was a kid up in Apple Valley and the High Desert Area. This is the first one I've seen in decades, and apparently it's a coachwhip (which I hadn't heard of until recently) not a red racer. Doh!
http://www.wildherps.com/species/M.flagellum.html#piceus This is the website that I got my info from. They say that the racer is the c. flagellum piceus. And this website says that they are the same. http://www.californiaherps.com/snakes/pages/m.f.piceus.html "Masticophiz flagellum piceus - Red Coachwhip (=Coluber flagellum piceus)" So, what's the real story? Now I'm officially confused. Edit: Okay, it looks like the Coluber flagellum piceus is a subspecies of the masticpohiz flagellum piceus, if this info is correct. Bighit, mtnbikefred, rockin' - can you confirm this for me? "RED RACER Coluber flagellum piceus. This subspecies is found across western and most of southern Arizona. It is usually pinkish red, rusty red, orange-tan, or olive-brown often with dark brown to black cross bands on the neck and the anterior portion of the body. Some specimens of this subspecies are solid black above. Black specimens are commonly seen in south-central Arizona." (Arizona references from AZ webpage) ~R
Wow. This is going to get me booted from Sharky's group Muant (Mtbers United Against Useless Non-Mtbing Threads). I was told a long time ago that the really dark Red's with the pronounced BLACK neck found in higher elevations of Riverside, San Bernardino, and surrounding areas (not the coast, and not the desert) were Coluber. Originally, all whip snakes/racers were of the genus Coluber. Later, several subspecies were discoverered that were different enough to warrant another genera; Masticophis (1). Their teeth and head are the primary descriptive difference. In general, Masticophis are shorter and skinnier, with smoother scales, and found in lower elevations in desert and coastal regions. Range maps for both genera support this. Look around where you were taking the picture. If it were open sand or desert scrub, I'd agree. It was a racer (Masticophis). If you were in coastal sage scrub/chaperal up to lower alpine, I call it a coachwhip. To me, racers look more like a Rosy Boa. Coachwhips look more like a Gophersnake. 1) Ottenberger, Univerisity of Michiagan, 1923. OP139.
