Herpetofauna: One Life's List

Coluber constrictor flaviventris
Eastern Yellowbelly Racer

St. Louis Co., Missouri. Spring 1973

As a kid I spent a lot of time hiking around Jefferson Barracks south of St. Louis, catching frogs and toads and box turtles in the woods and fields. On one occasion my buddies and I found a pair of racers along the edge of an open field. It was a great thrill for us back then, and to this day I get a charge out of finding racers in the field.

At right is a Kansas specimen, and below is a juvenile from Nebraska.