SUMMARY

• VENOM: None

• PREVALENCE: Common

• ACTIVE PERIOD: Most active during the day

• KEY ID FEATURES: Brown, copper, grey or tan with black stripes from head to mid section fading towards the tail

• BEHAVIOR: Very fast and readily willing to bite, but will almost always try to flee when encountered

• SIZE: Medium - 1.5m

• IUCN: LC - Least Concerned

• OTHER: Defensive display can be alarming

GALLERY

IMPORTANT: Many snakes have significant variance in coloration and pattern even within the same species. There can also be extreme differences in appearance from juveniles to adults so it is important to never assume you have properly identified a snake.

DESCRIPTION

Can be brown, copper, or tan in color with black lateral stripes on the upper half of the body and a lateral stripe from mid section fading out towards the tail. Color transitions from tan or brown to dark brown or grey towards the tail in most individuals. The Copperhead Racer is slender relative to its length and when fully grown will be ~3.5cm in diameter at upwards of 1.5+ meters long. Medium sized, round eyes with round pupils on a slender head usually copper or brown color on top with black vertical stripes over the eyes.

BEHAVIOR

The Copperhead Racer will puff up their neck when threatened. The neck expands vertically making them look taller rather than displaying the notorious 'hood' seen on cobra species. A harmless defensive tactic but can be unsettling for the inexperienced. These snakes will almost always flee extremely quickly if they sense you approaching and despite a bite from a mature specimen being a bit painful they pose almost no danger to humans and have no venom. They have also been observed to play dead, rolling onto their back and opening their mount. They will stay in this position even if handled for short periods of time but will flee quickly if they feel they have an opportunity.

HABITAT

Copperhead Racers are found all over Hong Kong including Hong Kong Island. They eat rodents, lizards and occasionally birds and as such can be found in grassy and rocky overgrown open spaces well as jogging trails, though they tend not to be found in heavily forested areas most commonly. Active during the day they are not uncommon to encounter in Hong Kong.

MISTAKEN IDENTITY

NO SNAKE SHOULD EVER BE HANDLED BY ANYONE BUT EXPERTS: Copperhead Racer is relatively unique in pattern and color though the overall size and shape can be loosely similar to some cobras. Because of this and their propensity to bite they should be observed at a distance and never approached or handled, though, as with Rat Snakes they would be hard to catch even if you tried.