A MIDDLE AMERICAN
SMOOTH-SCALED RACER

It's been a good week for reptiles. One morning back at the hacienda Darwin approached wearing his snake- at-the-big-building smile so off I went to see what it was this time. It was a slender, reddish, big-eyed species about two feet long, its body encircled by numerous narrow, pale bands, and it was hiding behind a potted plant on the patio at ground level. At first glance it looked like a coral snake, but it didn't have the right head markings. That's it at the right.

My herp field-guide by Jonathan Campbell identified it as the Middle American Smooth-scaled Racer, DRYADOPHIS MELANOLOMUS. It occurs from northern Mexico to Panama and it feeds mostly on reptiles, especially lizards, as well as reptile eggs, frogs and small mammals. It's not too closely related to North American racers, which belong to the genus Coluber. They do share the smooth scales typical of northern racers, however, and are just as eager to bite as any cornered northern racer.

Thank's to Vladamir's digital camera I'm especially glad to be able to post this snake's image because it comes in different basic colors, from olive-tan to reddish brown to reddish orange, like ours. The book says that the specialists haven't figured out what causes the various color forms, so now, whenever a researcher Googles "Dryadophis melanolomus" anyplace on Earth. he or she will find this page and this picture, and that'll help explain the mystery.