Description: This 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 foot long racer is satiny black (not shiny) above and below except for throat and chin that may be light brown or white mottled with brown. The hatchlings are lighter than the adults and usually strongly patterned with darker dorsal saddles. Scales are smooth, in 17 rows to and beyond midbody, and 15 rows posteriorly. Anal scale is divided. Pupil round. As are other subspecies in this genus, this is a slender, alert snake that can be difficult to approach

Habitat: Open fields and clear cuts as well as along the dirt roads that transect the Apalachicola and Chipola river valleys.

Range: The brownchin racer, C. c. helvigularis, occurs only in the lower Chipola and Appalachicola River valleys in Georgia and Florida.

Found in these States: FL | GA

Diet: Their prey is made up of lizards, frogs, baby turtles, small snakes, and the nestlings of ground dwelling birds or mammals.

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 to 10 inches 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.

Status: Listed as Least Concern in view of its wide distribution, tolerance of a broad range of habitats, presumed large population, and because it is unlikely to be declining fast enough to qualify for listing in a more threatened category.

Taxonomy: