A Guide to the Amphibians
and Reptiles of California

Striped Racer - Masticophis lateralis

California Striped Racer - Masticophis lateralis lateralis

(Hallowell, 1853)

(California Whipsnake; Chaparral Whipsnake; = Coluber lateralis lateralis)

Click on a picture for a larger view

Description • Taxonomy • Species Description • Scientific Name • Alt. Names • Similar Herps • References • Conservation Status

Red: Range of this subspecies in California
Masticophis lateralis lateralis - California Striped Racer

Range of other subspecies in California:

Dark Blue: Masticophis lateralis euryxanthus -
Alameda Striped Racer

Click on the map for a topographical view

Map with California County Names

Baja California Page

Adult, San Diego County (with an unusual shortened tail.)

Adult, San Diego County

Adult, Tuolumne County

Adult, San Diego County

Adult, Kern County

Adult, Orange County © Jeff Ahrens

Adult, Ventura County, © Patrick H. Briggs

Adult, Kern County © Ryan Sikola

Adult, Orange County © Jeff Ahrens

Adult, Santa Cruz County © Zach Lim

Adult, Santa Clara County.
© Chad M. Lane

Adult, Los Angeles County
© Emily Chebul

Adult, Calaveras County.
© Chad M. Lane

Adult with a wide light stripe, very similar to the Alameda Striped Whipsnake subspecies, El Dorado County. © Chad M. Lane

Adult, Solano County © Adam G. Clause

Adult, Orange County, © Jason Jones

Adult from Alameda County within range of the Alameda Striped Racer -M. l. euryxanthus, but showing characteristics of the California Striped Racer.
© Lisa Williams

Adult, Santa Clara County, just outside the range of the Alameda Striped Racer.
© Douglas Brown

Adult, Santa Cruz County
© Spencer Riffle

Adult, Butte County © Jackson Shedd

Adult in sand dunes habitat, with head elevated in typical foraging posture,
San Luis Obispo County © Joel A. Germond

Adults, San Luis Obispo County
© Joel A. Germond

Adult, Nevada County © Valencia Orzalli

Adult, Santa Clara County, foraging with head elevated high off the ground.
© Nancy Asquith

This striped racer was photographed high up a tree in Santa Barbara County. © Francesca Heras

Adult, San Gabriel Mountains riparian habitat,
Los Angeles County © Grigory Heaton

Adult in habitat, West Santa Clara County © Neo S

The snake shown to the left is seen here as it was found in a shrub. Enlarge the picture and see if you can find it.
© Neo S

A very pale gray adult from San Luis Obispo County © Ryan Sikola

Adult basking on the side of a dirt road in the morning, San Diego County

Juveniles

Sub-adult, Orange County © Ivan Vershynin

This juvenile racer was found in a palm oasis in the Imperial County desert, not a typical area for the species.
© Jeff Nordland

Juvenile, Monterey County

Juvenile, Fresno County
© Patrick H. Briggs

Juvenile in defensive posture, Orange County © Ivan Vershynin

Adult at a creek in Santa Barbara County. There were lots of California Treefrogs in the area and it is possible that the snake was waiting in ambush for one of them to come within striking distance. © Max Roberts

Juvenile, Ventura County
© Mark Kroenke

Adult, Santa Clara County © Faris K

Breeding

Two adults mating in May, Santa Barbara County © Doug Campbell

Feeding

Mark McCormick © shot this series of a San Diego Alligator Lizard biting onto the neck of a lizard-eating California Striped Racer in San Bernardino County. After the lizard finally let go, the snake quickly raced up a steep 15 foot high cliff up into some branches.

A California Striped Racer has caught a California Alligator Lizard in
El Dorado County © Jim Bennett

Sean Kelly © shot this series of a California Striped Racer eating a male Great Basin Fence lizard in San Diego County.

A California Striped Racer swallows a male Northwestern Fence Lizard in
El Dorado County © Jim Bennett

Lonnie Fehr discovered this adult racer trying to eat a juvenile racer in an area adjacent to a smoldering fire in the San Gabriel Mountains of Los Angeles County.

A California Striped Racer eats a Coast Patch-nosed Snake in Los Angeles County, near Altadena. © David Couch

A California Striped Racer, eats a juvenile Southern Pacific Rattlesnake -
Crotalus oreganus helleri, in Los Angeles County. © Anthony

Adult hidden in the grass with head elevated high off the ground, eating a Western Fence Lizard, Sonoma County.

Red Coachwhip eating San Diego Alligator Lizard

This San Diego Alligator Lizard was found biting the head of a California Striped Racer on a driveway in Riverside County. My guess is that the snake tried to eat the lizard but the lizard defended itself by biting onto the snake's head. The outcome is unknown.

Mindy Langfus sent me a link to her YouTube video showing a San Diego Alligator Lizard biting onto the head of a predatory California Striped Racer in a Los Angeles County park, both of them spinning around trying to get the other one to let go.

A Ventura County San Diego Alligator Lizard bites onto the nose of a predatory California Striped Racer, leaving it unable to strike. Eventually the lizard released its grip and the two ran in opposite directions. © Melissa Wantz

Adult California Striped Racer eating a juvenile Northern Pacific Rattlesnake
in Lake County. © Anonymous

Habitat

Habitat, Napa County

Habitat, Monterey County

Habitat, Sierra Nevada Mountains, Tuolumne County

Habitat, 4,500 ft., Sierra Nevada Mountains, Kern County

Habitat, Sierra Nevada Mountains, Kern County. The large crack in this rock served as a den which also contained Western Yellow-bellied Racers and Northern Pacific Rattlesnakes.

Coastal habitat, San Diego County

Habitat, San Diego County Mountains

Habitat, San Diego County mountains

Short Video

A San Diego County California Striped Racer sits on the ground, then races off into the chaparral.

Description

Not Dangerous - This snake does not have venom that can cause death or serious illness or injury in most humans.

Commonly described as "harmless" or "not poisonous" to indicate that its bite is not dangerous, but "not venomous" is more accurate. (A poisonous snake can hurt you if you eat it. A venomous snake can hurt you if it bites you.)

Size

Adults are generally 30 - 48 inches long (76 - 122 cm) occasionally reaching 60 inches (152 cm.)
Hatchlings are about 13 inches long (33 cm.)

Appearance

A long fast-moving snake with a thin body and a long thin tail, large eyes, a broad elongated head, a slender neck, and smooth scales.

Color and Pattern

Dark olive brown, gray, or black ground coloring with a pale yellow or cream colored solid stripe on each side which extends from the back of the eye to or beyond the vent.
The stripes are relatively narrow - "2 half-scale rows wide."(Stebbins)
The underside is cream or pale yellow tapering to pink toward the tail.

Young

Similar to adults.

Similar Snakes

The California Striped Racer subspecies differs from the very localized Alameda Striped Racer subspecies in having paler and narrower side stripes, a lighter back, distinct spotting under the head and neck, a dark line across the scale at the end of the nose, and an interrupted light stripe from the nose to the eye.

Comparison chart of
Masticophis lateralis lateralis - California Striped Racer, with the similar subspecies
Masticophis lateralis euryxanthus - Alameda Striped Racer, and the similar species
Masticophis taeniatus taeniatus - Desert Striped Whipsnake.

(The lack of a stripe down the middle of the back can help distinguish this species from several sympatric gartersnake species.)

Life History and Behavior

Activity

Diurnal, often seen actively foraging in the daytime with head and forward part of the body held high up off the ground searching for prey with its acute vision.
Climbs vegetation and seeks shelter in burrows, rocks, or woody debris.
Very fast-moving and alert, quickly fleeing when threatened, this snake can be difficult to get close to.

Defense

Like most racers and whipsnakes, this snake will strike repeatedly and bite viciously when threatened or handled.

Diet and Feeding

Eats lizards (particularly spiny lizards), small rodents, small birds, frogs, salamanders, small snakes.
Juveniles will consume large insects.

Reproduction

Females are oviparous, laying eggs in late spring or early summer which hatch in two to three months.

Habitat

Open areas in canyons, rocky hillsides, brushy chaparral, scrub, open woodlands, pond edges, stream courses, desert riparian corridors.
"Ranges into open flatland desert in cen. Baja Calif." (Stebbins 2003)

Geographical Range

This subspecies, Masticophis lateralis lateralis - California Striped Racer, occurs from near Dunsmuir in Siskiyou County east to the crest of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, south along the Sierra foothills to southern California and south along the coast to near sea level, to northern Baja California. Occurs in Southern California to the edge of the deserts and in desert riparian corridors.
Absent from the far north coast, the great valley, most of the deserts, and high elevations (over approx 7,400 ft. - 2,250 m.)

The species Masticophis lateralis - Striped Racer, is found only in California and Baja California, Mexico.

Notes on Taxonomy

In a study published in 2017, Myers et al found that the genus Masticophis is monophyletic with respect to Coluber. Following this taxonomy Coluber constrictor mormon will remain but the species previously placed in the genus Masticophis on this website have been returned to that genus:

Coluber flagellum - is now Masticophis flagellum
Coluber fuloginosus - is now Masticophis fuliginosus
Coluber lateralis - is now Masticophis lateralis
Coluber taeniatus - is now Masticophis taeniatus

(Edward A. Myers, Jamie L. Burgoon, Julie M. Ray, Juan E. Martinez-Gomez, Noemi Matias-Ferrer, Daniel G. Mulcahy, and Frank T. Burbrink.
Coalescent Species Tree Inference of Coluber and Masticophis. Copeia 105, No. 4, 2017, 642–650)

(Some researchers recognize Masticophis fuliginosus - Baja Coachwhip, which also occurs in California, as a subspecies of M. flagellum - M f. fuliginosus.)

Former Taxonomy Used Here

North American snakes formerly placed in the genus Masticophis were changed to the genus Coluber based on a 2004 paper * by Nagy et al. Utiger et al. (2005, Russian Journal of Herpetology 12:39-60) supported Nagy et al. and synonymized Masticophis with Coluber. This has not been universally accepted. The most recent SSAR list has hinted that the genus Masticophis might be re-instated: "Burbrink (pers. comm.) has data to reject Nagy et al.’s hypothesis but we await publication of these data before reconsidering the status of Masticophis."

Alternate and Previous Names (Synonyms)

Coluber lateralis lateralis - California Striped Racer (Nagy et al 2005)
Masticophis lateralis lateralis - California Striped Racer (Stebbins & McGinnis 2012)
Masticophis lateralis lateralis - Chaparral Whipsnake (Stebbins 1985, 2003)
Masticophis lateralis lateralis - California Striped Racer (Stebbins 1966)
Masticophis lateralis - California Striped Whipsnake (Stebbins 1954)
Banded Racer; Few-striped Whip Snake; Hallowell's Coachwhip Snake; Striped Racer; Striped-side Whip Snake (Wright & Wright 1957)
Coluber lateralis - California Striped Racer (Leptophis lateralis; Zamenis lateralis; Gascanion laterale; Bascanium taeniatum laterale; Bascanion taeniatus, part; Drymobius lateralis. Striped Racer; Hallowell's Coach-ship Snake; Banded Racer; Few-striped Whip Snake; Striped-side Whip Snake) (Grinnell and Camp 1917)
California Racer (Van Denburgh 1897)

Conservation Issues (Conservation Status)

None.

Taxonomy
Family	Colubridae	Colubrids	Oppel, 1811
Genus	Masticophis	Coachwhips and Whipsnakes	Baird & Girard, 1853
Species	lateralis	Striped Racer	(Hallowell, 1853)
Subspecies	lateralis	California Striped Racer	(Hallowell, 1853)
Original Description
Masticophis lateralis - (Hallowell, 1853) - Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, Vol. 6, p. 237 from Original Description Citations for the Reptiles and Amphibians of North America © Ellin Beltz
Meaning of the Scientific Name
Masticophis - Greek mastix - whip and ophis - referring to the body shape and braided appearance of the tail lateralis - Latin - of the side - referring to the lateral stripes from Scientific and Common Names of the Reptiles and Amphibians of North America - Explained © Ellin Beltz
Related or Similar California Snakes
M. l. euryxanthus - Alameda Striped Racer C. constrictor mormon - Western Yellow-bellied Racer T. e. elegans - Mountain Gartersnake T. hammondii - Two-striped Gartersnake S. h. virgultea - Coast Patch-nosed Snake C. f. piceus - Red Racer
More Information and References
California Department of Fish and Wildlife U. S. Environmental Protection Agency Stebbins, Robert C., and McGinnis, Samuel M. Field Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles of California: Revised Edition (California Natural History Guides) University of California Press, 2012. Stebbins, Robert C. California Amphibians and Reptiles. The University of California Press, 1972. Flaxington, William C. Amphibians and Reptiles of California: Field Observations, Distribution, and Natural History. Fieldnotes Press, Anaheim, California, 2021. Samuel M. McGinnis and Robert C. Stebbins. Peterson Field Guide to Western Reptiles & Amphibians. 4th Edition. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 2018. Stebbins, Robert C. A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians. 3rd Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2003. Behler, John L., and F. Wayne King. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians. Alfred A. Knopf, 1992. Powell, Robert., Joseph T. Collins, and Errol D. Hooper Jr. A Key to Amphibians and Reptiles of the Continental United States and Canada. The University Press of Kansas, 1998. Bartlett, R. D. & Patricia P. Bartlett. Guide and Reference to the Snakes of Western North America (North of Mexico) and Hawaii. University Press of Florida, 2009. Bartlett, R. D. & Alan Tennant. Snakes of North America - Western Region. Gulf Publishing Co., 2000. Brown, Philip R. A Field Guide to Snakes of California. Gulf Publishing Co., 1997. Ernst, Carl H., Evelyn M. Ernst, & Robert M. Corker. Snakes of the United States and Canada. Smithsonian Institution Press, 2003. Taylor, Emily. California Snakes and How to Find Them. Heyday, Berkeley, California. 2024. Wright, Albert Hazen & Anna Allen Wright. Handbook of Snakes of the United States and Canada. Cornell University Press, 1957. * Z. T. Nagy, Robin Lawson, U. Joger and M. Wink. Molecular systematics of Racers, Whipsnakes and relatives (Reptilia: Colubridae) using Mitochondrial and Nuclear Markers. Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research (Volume 42 pages 223–233). 2004 Joseph Grinnell and Charles Lewis Camp. A Distributional List of the Amphibians and Reptiles of California. University of California Publications in Zoology Vol. 17, No. 10, pp. 127-208. July 11, 1917.

Conservation Status
The following conservation status listings for this animal are taken from the April 2024 State of California Special Animals List and the April 2024 Federally Listed Endangered and Threatened Animals of California list (unless indicated otherwise below.) Both lists are produced by multiple agencies every year, and sometimes more than once per year, so the conservation status listing information found below might not be from the most recent lists. To make sure you are seeing the most recent listings, go to this California Department of Fish and Wildlife web page where you can search for and download both lists: https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Data/CNDDB/Plants-and-Animals. A detailed explanation of the meaning of the status listing symbols can be found at the beginning of the two lists. For quick reference, I have included them on my Special Status Information page. If no status is listed here, the animal is not included on either list. This most likely indicates that there are no serious conservation concerns for the animal. To find out more about an animal's status you can also go to the NatureServe and IUCN websites to check their rankings. Check the current California Department of Fish and Wildlife sport fishing regulations to find out if this animal can be legally pursued and handled or collected with possession of a current fishing license. You can also look at the summary of the sport fishing regulations as they apply only to reptiles and amphibians that has been made for this website. This snake is not included on the Special Animals List, which indicates that there are no significant conservation concerns for it in California.
Organization	Status Listing	Notes
NatureServe Global Ranking
NatureServe State Ranking
U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA)	None
California Endangered Species Act (CESA)	None
California Department of Fish and Wildlife	None
Bureau of Land Management	None
USDA Forest Service	None
IUCN

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