Coachwhip or racer?

[D12]

Black Momba

[Dale Moser]

Nothing without legs should ever be able to move that fast…


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[WinslowBoy]

Definitely a coachwhip.

Racers have white on their chins and smaller/smoother scales.

This... and black racers are generally a little more uniform black all the way to the tail.

[okrattler]

Makes sense !
I’ve only seen a couple in my life, they were tan. First one, when we were kids in Weatherford. That sucker was 8’ long and stood 4’ off the ground and lunged at us. Made quite the impression. Fast and has attitude. The ones I got the other day were about 3ft. First ones I’ve seen in 35 yrs. They showed up about 4 hrs after we put our quail chicks in the outside pen.

They're normally pretty aggressive when they're first caught or cornered but calm down pretty fast. I caught two a few weekends ago. One about 3 1/2' and the other was a little over 5'. The bigger one played dead which I've only seen one other coachwhip do. He wasn't as good at it as the first one I saw do it several years ago. Every time I'd put it on its back it would flip back over on its belly. It laid there for a while until me and my buddies left. It was gone when we came back.

[Lynn21]

I used to tell my son when he was little the name coachwhip came about because that snake would roll up in a circle and then stand up and roll down the road and look like a stage coach wheel.

[Dale Moser]

I’ve never seen anything move like that in tall grass. I think it was a coachwhip, that’s what I was told. Truth is I never saw the **** thing, I just saw the top of some 2-3’ tall Johnson grass shimmering at the top, and a snake like shape HOVERFLYING like a **** ghost serpent out of hell…it was going away from me starting from less than 6’ away, and was out of sight in less than 5 seconds. I’ll never forget that grass shimmering as that snake barely seemed to touch it…


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[okrattler]

I’ve never seen anything move like that in tall grass. I think it was a coachwhip, that’s what I was told. Truth is I never saw the **** thing, I just saw the top of some 2-3’ tall Johnson grass shimmering at the top, and a snake like shape HOVERFLYING like a **** ghost serpent out of hell…it was going away from me starting from less than 6’ away, and was out of sight in less than 5 seconds. I’ll never forget that grass shimmering as that snake barely seemed to touch it…


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Yep, I'd bet that's what it was. If I'm up to it I can chase them down. But they can move like they're sliding across glass. It's crazy to see them cross the roads and it looks like a mirage that just disappears into the ditch. Best way I can explain it.

And the hotter it is the faster they move, as with any snake. But if you notice when it's 90+ degrees you'll almost always see coachwhips and racers when other snakes are in the shade. They're built different. Too much heat can kill most snakes but they seem to do just fine in it. Their blood has too be dang near boiling but I've seen them on days when you'd think that dirt has to hurt their belly. Maybe that's why they scoot across it so fast, that I don't know. They sure can move.

Here most of our Coachwhips are just plain tan. Over in NW Oklahoma you'll see them where they're red or pink colored. Sometimes tan with purple markings on them. I seen one, one time come ripping out from under an old car hood that almost looked like it had pink rings on it. It was moving so fast it looked crazy with those different colors on it.

[Dale Moser]

I found this one under a deer blind that I’d just picked up with a forklift. He was pretty cool and let me walk around him and mess around. I suppose he was pretty cold from that shade and cool earth.

I’d like for Snoop to see what they can do when they’re warm once. It is flat out amazing! Both times I’ve seen them “grass walk” it was over 100 degrees. I hope to see it again now.


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[okrattler]

That's a pretty one. I had a guy tell me he seen a red one about a month ago. He don't speak real good English but I told him it wasn't venomous so not to worry. He didn't believe me. He said "In Mexico, every snake will kill you." Which isn't true but that's the way he was raised. He don't like none of 'em. I've never seen a reddish colored one here but he said it was and really fast. Had to be what it was. I'd like to have seen the one he saw. I kinda think he wished he hadn't seen it.

I told him not to kill it because they'll eat rattlesnakes around his house. He didn't think so. He didn't want to hear no positivity about that snake whatsoever.

The crazy thing is they really do eat other snakes but I see them denned up with rattlesnakes more than any other. Once it gets warm them rattlesnakes better move. The coachwhips start killin any they can swallow.

[Big pig]

I’ve never seen anything move like that in tall grass. I think it was a coachwhip, that’s what I was told. Truth is I never saw the **** thing, I just saw the top of some 2-3’ tall Johnson grass shimmering at the top, and a snake like shape HOVERFLYING like a **** ghost serpent out of hell…it was going away from me starting from less than 6’ away, and was out of sight in less than 5 seconds. I’ll never forget that grass shimmering as that snake barely seemed to touch it…


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We saw a similar snake 2 yrs ago. But we were in the Mule and it was on the wife’s side! She was terrified and still brings the story up.

Interesting how these snakes in Brown County climb
Don’t think we had many big snakes growing up (except chicken snakes) that climb trees.

[BTLowry]

I’ve never seen anything move like that in tall grass. I think it was a coachwhip, that’s what I was told. Truth is I never saw the **** thing, I just saw the top of some 2-3’ tall Johnson grass shimmering at the top, and a snake like shape HOVERFLYING like a **** ghost serpent out of hell…it was going away from me starting from less than 6’ away, and was out of sight in less than 5 seconds. I’ll never forget that grass shimmering as that snake barely seemed to touch it…


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I saw one cross 5yds of grass, up a barbwire fence and into a tree like a flash

I would have never thought about a coachwhip in a tree until that day

I have also seen one chasing a rat in a field I was shredding. I did not see the end of the chase but suspect the rat was dinner as fast as the snake was moving