Common Names: Red racer
Habitat: open flat desert areas and sandy washes.
Description: long snake. Looks like a whip. Colors vary from red, rust-colored, pinkish (esp. when young), green, black (esp. in central to southern AZ), and tan. Often they have some light markings. Coachwhips in California have a black hood on the nape. Very fast snake. They eat other snakes, lizards, and rodents. Young snakes eat insects.
Comments: They bite when handled and are diurnal. They can also tolerate heat better than most snakes. Peak activity for them is in mid-morning to late afternoon and in April, May, August, and September.