I have spent quite a bit of time hiking and looking for reptiles in the past few weeks (not burying dead hookers as suggested by Oddball). My last two posts showed the Sandhills in south central North Carolina. This afternoon I hiked in the Latta Plantation Nature Preserve, just a few miles north of Charlotte, NC.
Early in the trip I ran across this black racer (Coluber Constrictor). This is one of two species of snakes in this region commonly referred to as “black snakes.” The other is the black rat snake (pictured later).

Racers are feisty and often on the move in search of smaller snakes, lizards, etc. Contrary to the latin name, these snakes do not constrict in the traditional sense. They may push their prey into the ground, bash it against the ground, or swallow it kicking and screaming. I snagged this one by the tail...it was a showdown.

…and he popped me. No problem. They are harmless. Prefer to let them bite than to restrain them harshly at first. Unnecessarily aggressive handling can injure/traumatize the snake. Most will calm down with gentle handling.



Here he is 10 seconds later…perfectly calm.



I put him back along the trail so he could go on his way.



A couple miles later I came across the other “black snake,” a really nice black rat snake (Elaphe Obsoleta) sunning itself on a fallen tree. Black rat snakes are excellent climbers and it is not unusual to find them above ground level in trees or barns. They are powerful constrictors which can grow to 6-7 feet (rarely close to 8ft). They prey on birds and small mammals and, like the racer, should be welcome near your home. They are harmless.



I walked right over and picked him up. He was completely docile, like a pet. No aggression whatsoever. You can see from his dull appearance and the bluish eyecaps that he will shed in the next week or so.



We took a few pictures and then I placed him back up on his tree limb. Hopefully, this thread will make at least one person think twice before slaughtering a harmless snake.