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On Tue, 22 Sep 2009 02:21:55 -0400, wrote:

On Tue, 22 Sep 2009 00:28:38 -0500, wrote:

The black snake in the picture sequence is a racer? King snakes are
famously known for eating rattlesnakes, too, since apparently they are
immune to rattlesnake venom.

When I was a kid, when I would come across a racer, I would try to
chase it down. It was like a sport, since the racers were so fast. I
never did see a black one, though. The ones I've encountered in our
area have been blue or green.

The southern black racer is more closely related to the northern black
snake from what I understand. They may even be the same crtitter with
environmental adaptation.

That's interesting. The black snake in this area is rather gentle.
The old farmers in the area wouldn't mind the black snakes in their
barns or in the corn cribs because the snakes would eat the rats. I
remember having a black snake as a pet when I was a kid. A person
could handle it without a worry.

The southern black racers are pretty aggressive. They won't hurt you
but they put on quite a show. They really don't like being picked up.
It is quite a show when I pull one out of someone's pool cage.
I let them go nuts striking at everything until I get it outside
because I know it won't hurt me.
They do put a nasty stink on your hands. That is some protective
reaction I imagine.
As soon as they hit the ground they are gone.
The flip side of that is if they are really attacked they will roll up
in a ball with nothing but the tail sticking out, whipping around,
trying to look like a rattle.
My dog went after one and he rolled up like a hockey puck. I picked
him up and tossed out the door. Once it was clear it opened up and
rocketed away unharmed.

That sounds typical of the behavior of the Hognose snake (or Puff
Adder) in this area. It will spread the sides of its head like a
cobra, and it puts on quite a show. It acts ill-tempered and will
strike. But the thing is harmless. When it becomes obvious that it
hasn't dissuaded its 'attacker' it plays dead. It's really amusing to
watch.

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