They are difficult to handle and will writhe, defecate and release a foul smelling musk from their cloaca. However, once cornered they put up a vigorous fight, biting hard and often. Aptly named, racers are very fast and typically flee from a potential predator. They are curious snakes with excellent vision, and are sometimes seen raising their head above the height of the grass they are crawling in to view what is around them. Most smaller prey items are simply swallowed alive. Despite their specific name of constrictor, they do not really employ constriction, instead simply subduing struggling prey by pinning it bodily, pressing one or two coils against it to hold it in place instead of actually suffocating it.
Juveniles often consume soft-bodied insects, such as crickets and moths Template:Citation needed.
Some subspecies are known to climb trees in order to eat eggs and young birds. Their diet consists primarily of small rodents, frogs, toads, lizards, and other snakes. Racers are fast moving, highly active, diurnal snakes. As they grow older, the dorsum darkens, and the juvenile pattern gradually disappears. Juveniles are more strikingly patterned, with a middorsal row of dark blotches on a light ground color. All subspecies have a lighter colored underbelly: white, a light tan or yellow in color. Runner is sometimes used instead of racer in their common name. Most are solid colored as their common names imply, black racers, brown racers, blue racers or green racers. Their patterns vary widely between subspecies. Racers typically grow to around 3½ feet (107 cm) long, but some subspecies are capable of attaining lengths of 6 feet (1.8 m).
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