frequently asked q u e s t i o n s critter f i e l d   g u i d e what is it? g u e s s   g a m e ask jim y o u r   q u e s t i o n s critter care i n s t r u c t i o n s links f o r   m o r e   i n f o Critterguy / Critter Field Guide / Snakes / blue racer Critter Field Guide: Snakes of Michigan blue racer Coluber constrictor foxii blue racer Description A large gray or blue snake with smooth scales. The head is usually darker than the body, and the chin and throat are white. The belly is light blue or white. Young racers have a blotched pattern. Adult Length: 4 to 6 feet. Habitat and Habits Racers inhabit a variety of places, including open woods, meadows, hedge rows, marshes, and weedy lake edges. These active snakes feed on rodents, frogs, smaller snakes, birds, and insects. Although they will bite if cornered or grabbed, Racers are not venomous. Reproduction Female Racers lay 6 to 25 eggs in rotting wood or underground during June and July. The young hatch in late summer. Range and Status Racers have been found through most of the Lower Peninsula (except the northernmost sections) and the southern tip of the Upper Peninsula. Their numbers have declined in many places—-due in part to needless persecution by humans as well as habitat loss. Acknowledgement James Harding MSU Museum Michigan State University East Lansing, MI 48824 (517) 353-7978 hardingj@msu.edu © Copyright 2004. All Rights Reserved.