Black Racer Snake

We encountered a black racer snake on our hike last weekend.  Though these snakes are not poisonous, they can be aggressive when cornered.  Their bite is also very painful, something we’ve fortunately not experienced.  Black Racers are so named because they are very quick and can “run” almost as fast as humans.

Last year a black racer entered our house.  Our dog Darby was barking wildly outside the kitchen door, so I opened the door to see what the commotion was about.  I jumped when a 6-foot black racer snake rushed into the house, shot right past my legs and slithered behind the refrigerator.  The dogs chased in behind and cornered it.  I was dying to run to the basement and grab my camera, but I wanted to keep my eye on the snake and not lose it in the house.

We had just returned from a trip, so there were suitcases laying around.  I built up a 4-foot “wall of suitcases” to prevent the snake from sneaking into the rest of the house.  I sequestered the dogs in the living room behind the suitcases, opened all the doors in the kitchen, then used a broom to flush the snake out from behind the fridge.

I assumed the snake would head out one of the wide-open doors to his freedom.  But instead the snake climbed up and over (!) the suitcase barrier and into the living room with our two snake-crazy dogs.  Watching a snake climb a vertical wall is something to behold.  I wish I had a video, which would’ve been amusing as I struggled to keep the dogs away from the snake and vice-versa, all while trying to shoo the snake out of the house.  Finally I swept him into a corner of the dining room and then out the sliding glass door.