Start your engines, here come the racers! The blue racer (Coluber constrictor foxii) and the eastern yellowbelly racer (Coluber constrictor flaviventris) are both subspecies of Coluber constrictor, the eastern racer. Blue racers can be found in the midwest US, from Iowa to Ohio. The eastern yellowbelly racer has a slightly larger range, from Montana eastward to Iowa, down south towards Texas and Louisiana, and with a few isolated populations found in Canada. Both subspecies are quick, shy snakes that seem to prefer to avoid human interaction whenever possible, and willing to bite if handled (both the blue racer and eastern yellowbelly racer are nonvenemous). Both snakes are named for their coloration--blue racers are known for their blue or gray scales on their back and sides, fading to white on their bellies, and for the 'mask' of dark black scales going back from their eyes. Eastern yellowbelly racers are typically gray on their backs and sides, with yellow belly scales. However, juvenile eastern yellowbelly racers are typically tan or cream colored, with brown or gray blotches across their body, and their color will gradually change as they age and shed their skin.
More reptile studies, because I actually kind of had fun doing the last page, and seem to be getting a bit better at managing the head and scale shapes
Now let us turn our attention to the blue racer! With your beautiful blue scales and wonderful black mask, you are a very handsome snake indeed. And a sighting of you in the wild is always a treat, as you are shy, elusive, and--as your name implies--fast! We respect that you want very little to do with humans--we are very loud, after all, with a tendency to want to fawn over sweet animals such as yourself!--and we shall simply send a wave and a kiss out to the more remote prairies and fields that you prefer to make your home in. It is our honor, blue racer, to give to you the Snake Swag Bracket's MARVELOUS MISANTHROPE award!