Squamata suborder
Serpentes
Masticophis flagellum -- Coachwhip
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Purple shade indicates vouchered specimens. Light blue (cyan)
shade indicates photographic records. Yellow shade indicates verified
sighting. Slanted hatch indicates pre-1980 records only
NOTE: Not all specimens upon which these maps are based have been verified.
Key Characters: Tail scales patterned like a braided whip; back scales smooth; anal plate divided.
Similar Species: Racer, rat snake.
Subspecies: Eastern coachwhip, M. f. flagellum.
Description: Long (up to 260 cm TL), slender, black snake. Adult uniformly black above and below, fading toward the reddish or tan tail. Juvenile yellow to brown on the back, with dark crossbands; belly cream with rows of brown spots and head marked with white.
Habitat: Rocky, open hillsides, glades, and hill prairies.
Natural History: Fast-moving diurnal snake that is difficult to capture, but tales of it wrapping around people's legs and whipping them with its tail are fictitious. If it cannot escape, it strikes and bites, often aiming for the face, and sprays feces and musk. Withstands dry habitats because it is quite resistant to desiccation. Mates in spring soon after emergence from hibernation and lays 4-24 eggs in summer. Young (ca. 30-35 cm TL) hatch in September. Varied diet includes insects, lizards, other snakes, birds, small turtles, and small mammals. It tracks prey by scent, following them into burrows or trees. Raptors, mammals, and other snakes are its main predators.
Status: State endangered. Only one population known in southwestern Illinois. Its main threat is highway traffic.