Though adults are uniformly dark on top, juveniles are gray-blue with red-brown blotches that fade with age. These slender snakes are aptly named for their speed and alertness both of which are almost diagnostic as no other Indiana snake moves so quickly or gracefully. In northwestern Indiana, Eastern Racers are blue with dark 'masks' around the eyes. Snakes are also difficult to raise awareness for their conservation because of prejudice, but the Antiguan racer has become a mascot species for conservation in Antigua and Barbuda.Though commonly known by the moniker 'blue racer', most Eastern Racers in Indiana are slate-gray to black with a whitish underbelly. It’s habitat is still threatened by visitors visiting their hospital, as well as urban development and invasive species. Unfortunately, the Antiguan racer snake is not out of danger quite yet. The West Indian whistling duck and the Caribbean brown pelican’s population has increased a lot. This work has also helped many other native species, including birds who had been preyed on by invasive predator species. Other conservation methods include habitat restoration, breeding, education and research by Fauna & Flora International and the Antiguan Racer Conservation Project. The Antiguan racer snake’s population has risen to about 1,100 individuals. This decimated the population until only one group was left on Great Bird Island, a small cay without mongooses.Ĭonservation measures have succeeded in getting rid of the invasive rats and mongooses from 14 islands around Antigua, allowing Antiguan racers to return to three other islands: Rabbit, Green, and York. They largely ignored the rats and instead preyed on the native species, including the Antiguan racer. To stop this, plantation owners introduced small Asian mongooses to kill the rats. In the 1800s, invasive black rats were breaking and damaging sugar cane plantations in Antigua. The main reason the Antiguan racer snake is endangered is invasive species.

Now they are no longer the rarest snake in the world, a title that has unfortunately been taken by the Saint Lucia racer. They were declared extinct again in 2009, but intense conservation measures have brought their numbers up to more than 1,100. By 1995 there were only about 50 snakes left, consolidated on a single island. In the 1800s, this species suffered a sharp decline, and in 1936 it was declared extinct - mistakenly. They were once named the rarest snake in the world. The Antiguan racer snake is an example of a conservation success story. Because of conservation measures, almost all the remaining Antiguan racers have microchip tags. Antiguan racers are harmless to humans and release a musky smell when frightened. These snakes’s coloration changes depending on their age and sex. They hunt their prey, four endemic species of lizards, by waiting to be able to ambush them. The Antiguan racer is a rear-fanged grey-brown snake, that despite its name is quite slow. It is one of the rarest snakes in the world, and until recently, was considered the rarest. They are found in four islands off the coast of Antigua: Great Bird Island, Rabbit Island, Green Island and York Island. The Antiguan racer, or Alsophis antiguae, is a snake found in Antigua and Barbuda in the Caribbean.

Racer snake