Colubridae
Smith's Racer
HarmlessPlatyceps smithii
3 photographs of the Smith's Racer. © Julien Renoult.
The Smith's Racer (Platyceps smithii) is a non-venomous snake in the Colubridae family.
- Family
- Colubridae
About the Smith's Racer
The Smith's Racer belongs to the Colubridae family, colubrids. The largest snake family, and the one most snakes you meet belong to.
Colubridae is by far the biggest family of snakes, with roughly two thousand species worldwide. It is a catch-all of mostly slender, agile, day-active snakes: ratsnakes, kingsnakes, gartersnakes, watersnakes, racers, whipsnakes, and hundreds more. The vast majority are harmless to people and kill prey by grabbing or constricting rather than with venom.
Its genus, Platyceps, covers Whip snakes and racers. Platyceps are fast, slender Old World colubrids built for chasing prey across open, rocky country.
The Smith's Racer is non-venomous and harmless to people. Like most snakes it is a quiet predator that helps keep rodents and other small prey in check.
Field-guide summary compiled from taxonomy and verified occurrence records. Detailed natural-history notes for this species are still being added.
Frequently asked: Smith's Racer
- Is the Smith's Racer venomous?
- No. The Smith's Racer (Platyceps smithii) is non-venomous and is not considered dangerous to humans. Like most snakes, it will retreat rather than bite when given the chance.
- Is the Smith's Racer poisonous?
- Snakes are venomous, not poisonous. "Poisonous" means harmful to eat or touch; "venomous" means injecting toxins through a bite. The Smith's Racer is neither poisonous nor venomous.
- Is the Smith's Racer dangerous?
- The Smith's Racer is not dangerous to humans. It has no medically significant venom and bites only defensively if cornered or handled.
More Colubridae snakes
Classification
How scientists group this snake, from the broadest category down to the exact species. Each step narrows to its closest relatives.
- OrderThe broad group of scaled reptiles: all snakes and lizards
- Squamata
- FamilyA group of related snakes that share key traits
- Colubridae
- GenusA close-knit group of very similar species
- Platyceps
- SpeciesThis exact snake, named in the two-part scientific name
- Platyceps smithii
Keep learning
- What to Do If You Find a SnakeFound a snake at home or on a trail? Here is how to stay calm, give it space, identify it safely, and know when to call a professional.
- Venomous vs Nonvenomous: How to Tell the DifferenceThe folk rules for telling venomous snakes apart, where each one fails, and why location-based identification beats guessing by sight.
- What Is a Snake? Anatomy and the BasicsA clear overview of what makes a snake a snake: limbless body plan, anatomy, evolution from lizards, species diversity, and why they are ectothermic.
- How to Keep Snakes Out of Your Yard and HomeA practical guide to keeping snakes out of your yard and home using habitat changes that work, plus what to skip and what to do if one shows up.
Distribution from GBIF & iNaturalist. Venom status per CDC. Informational only. Never handle a snake to identify it.