Eastern yellow-bellied racer

The adult is long and slender-bodied. The scales are smooth. A juvenile has large mid-dorsal brown blotches and small brown or black spots on the sides. The juvenile has a tan or gray ground color. The pattern fades by the time the snake is several years old. The adult female attains a longer length than the male, but the male has a longer tail. The adult yellow-bellied racer has a plain brown to olive back with dark colored skin between the scales, making the scales look as though they were outlined in black. The unpatterned belly is yellow to cream. Hatchling yellow-bellied racers have dark edged blotches on the belly. (information from "A Field Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles of Oklahoma")