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Striped racer

Coluber lateralis · Snakes · Reptiles

Striped racer (Coluber lateralis): Slender, diurnal snake; a yellow stripe runs along each side (1 and 2 half scales wide in the Alameda form), hence 'striped racer' (NPS, Alameda subspecies). Underside of the head may carry sparse speckled spots, or none; underside shades from cream to pink toward the tail; these features separate the Alameda form from other California whipsnakes (NPS). This profile does not establish whether taking it is legal anywhere.

Check rules for a place and date

Certified rules currently represented in Hunt: coverage in development. This is coverage, not a legal answer.

Scientific name
Coluber lateralis
Family
Colubridae
In North America
Native
Range
California from the Sierra Nevada and Coast Ranges through southwestern California to northwestern Baja California; up to about 1,835 m in California. The Alameda striped racer subspecies is restricted to the Coast Ranges east of San Francisco Bay. Not in Canada.
Biology

How to identify it

Slender, diurnal snake; a yellow stripe runs along each side (1 and 2 half scales wide in the Alameda form), hence 'striped racer' (NPS, Alameda subspecies). [1][2][3]

Underside of the head may carry sparse speckled spots, or none; underside shades from cream to pink toward the tail; these features separate the Alameda form from other California whipsnakes (NPS). [1][2][3]

Field knowledge

Where it lives

Chaparral, coastal scrub, shrubland with grassy patches, rocky canyons and watercourses, and woodland; prefers open-canopy stands with woody debris and rock outcrops on south-facing slopes. [1][2][3]

Field knowledge

How it behaves

Strictly diurnal and actively foraging on the surface, occasionally climbing shrubs or small trees; active March-November in California and non-migratory. [1][2][3]

Preys mainly on lizards, also frogs, snakes, nestling birds, rodents and insects, hunting by sight and scent; shelters under objects, in crevices and rodent burrows. [1][2][3]

Males are trapped more than females in spring because they roam widely for mates. [1][2][3]

Regulatory handoff

Limited legal take

Legal take of this species exists only under narrow conditions — a quota, a draw, a permit, a small area, or animals released or held on private land — set by the authorities below. Nowhere else is a legal opportunity implied, and Hunt shows one only where a certified rule establishes it.

Where legal take is listed

Being listed is not an open season. Seasons, zones, licences, methods and limits decide whether this animal may be taken on a given day and place — check Hunt or the authority before you go. Listings read 2026-09-30.

Geospatial intelligence

Where it is found

California from the Sierra Nevada and Coast Ranges through southwestern California to northwestern Baja California; up to about 1,835 m in California. The Alameda striped racer subspecies is restricted to the Coast Ranges east of San Francisco Bay. Not in Canada.

Biology

Sources

Every claim above is attributed to one of these published sources.

  1. NatureServe · reviewed 2026-09-30

    NatureServe

  2. California Department of Fish and Wildlife · reviewed 2026-09-30

    California Department of Fish and Wildlife

  3. National Park Service · reviewed 2026-09-30

    National Park Service