

July 29, 2015 (Lakeside) – Who knew we had pink or red snakes in East County?
Sarka-Jonae Miller snapped this photo in Lakeside today near the Santee border, close to Riverford Road off State Route 67. Our researcher team soon identified the reptile as a red racer snake, also known as a red coachwhip for its tail that appears braided like a whip.
Red racers are fast-moving snakes that are not poisonous and will sometimes eat other snakes. They do not make good pets, however, as they can be aggressive and bite handlers, also emitting a foul odor or even playing dead to trick predators to leave it alone.
They are fairly common in our desert areas and can climb trees or even cacti in search of its prey.
Read more: http://www.desertusa.com/reptiles/coachwhip.html
View more images at http://www.californiaherps.com/snakes/pages/c.f.piceus.html
Comments
Nice photograph!