Black Racer Snake Size Comparison: Just How Big Do They Get?

Black racer snakes (Coluber constrictor) are harmless non-venomous snakes. They are also known as southern black racers, black runners, and North American racers. As their name implies, these slender and elusive snakes are incredibly fast. They tend to flee when approached and are unlikely to strike a much larger creature. For an apt black racer snake size comparison, “much larger creature” could mean a human or a forest animal like a deer.

As you can see by their scientific name, black racers belong to the colubridae family. These snakes, called colubrids, are the most prominent family of snakes in the animal kingdom, with over 1,900 species. Most are harmless and not venomous, just like the black racer. 

These numerous colubrid species come in all colors and sizes. But you will find that snakes in this family often don’t fit the “massive and deadly” expectation typically associated with certain python and boa species.

How does the black racer compare to other reptiles? You will see they are relatively small snakes in this black racer size comparison!

How Big Do Black Racer Snakes Get?

Black racers reach an adult length of 20-56 inches. So, if you stretched out one of these snakes from the smaller end, they’d be just a little longer than your average necklace chain. The larger snakes can stretch across most small computer desks. Very large black racers can reach 60-70 inches, the length of a two-seat loveseat or standard three-seat couch, respectively. Most are between 3-5 feet long.

Black racers are fairly small snakes. To compare them to another colubrid, the Eastern hognose snake is a common pet snake that averages 28 inches. Ball pythons, another common pet snake, can reach about 6 feet but usually tops at 2-3 feet for males and 3-5 feet for females.

The idea of a 4-5 foot snake can seem large, but genuinely giant snakes like the Burmese python start adult length at 7 feet and can reach 19-20 feet. New York City apartment hunters can only dream of having a studio apartment with a room that long.

While snakes don’t exactly have the same body diversity as humans, a snake that looks big can weigh far less than a shorter snake. Even though black racers typically reach 3-5 feet, they only weigh about 1.25 pounds. You could order one from the deli counter at the grocery store and be unable to tell the difference between the snake’s weight and a week’s worth of cold cuts.

The Largest Black Racer Snake Ever Recorded

The largest black racer snake ever found was 73 inches long and recorded by the Virginia Herpetological Society (VHS). That’s just one inch above the typical deep end for a swimming pool!

The VHS recorded that the largest black racer found in Virginia was 70.7 inches, but the record length for this species is 73 inches. It is unclear where and when this record-setting black racer was found, but biologists at the VHS recorded most of their black racer observations in the spring of 2014.

Places You’re Most Likely to Encounter Black Racer Snakes

Black racers mainly inhabit the southeastern United States, like South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida (including the Florida Keys). Despite also being known as southern black racers, one can spot these snakes in northeastern states as far north as southern Maine.

Subspecies of black racers, like the yellow-bellied racer, can be found in central and western states from Oklahoma to California. Black racers and subspecies also live in Central America, including Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala.

These snakes are active in the daytime in edge habitats like the outer edges of wetlands and forests. Although black racers sometimes wander into agricultural areas, you are unlikely to encounter one in cities or other developed residential and commercial areas.

The photo featured at the top of this post is © Matthew L Niemiller/Shutterstock.com