A detail of the head of the Wadi Racer Snake (filter was used to provide contrast)
A Wadi Racer sliding its way on top of rocks
The snake easily blends in its rocky environment
The agility and speed of the racer was an awesome site to witness
From entomology to herpetology, my nature expeditions are creating opportunities for me to learn more about awesome creatures!
It was during a recent group expedition towards Fossil Rock at the Maleha Mountain trail that I got this awesome encounter with a very agile and fast Wadi Racer snake. We where ascending towards the flat surface to Fossil Rock when we stumbled upon the snake as it was moving on the rocks. Upon detecting my presence, it dashed and hid inside the rock crevices. It was a brief encounter, but I was able to take a few photos before it "disappeared and blended into the rocks".
The Wadi Racer or Arabian Racer (Platyceps rhodorachis) (COLUBRIDAE) is a snake found in the wadi and mountain regions of UAE.
This snake is NONVENOMOUS and poses no threat for humans. It is nonaggressive and will not attack unless provoked, stepped upon, or directly harassed.
The Wadi Racer possesses full gray to dark gray-colored scales with dark brown traverse markings. Its body is long, slender and uniformly cylindrical with its tail tapering to a needle-like tip. It can grow up to 150cm (1.5m) long.
This snake is very agile, as it moves with great speed on its wadi and mountainous environment. It can climb vertical rock surfaces. It is also reported as a great swimmer, with the ability to pursue wadi fish when in water. Its common prey include toads, smaller reptiles, birds and mice.
The innate speed, agility and camouflaging ability of the Wadi Racer in its natural environment was an awesome sight to behold!
Awesome creature! Awesome CREATOR!
Are these snakes live also in mangrove areas such as Ras AlKhor Sanctuary in Dubai? Thanks SamuraiBug
ReplyDeleteThese snakes thrive mainly on the mountainous and wadi areas of the UAE. I still have to check out previous sighting records if they were observed in the Ras Al Khor Sanctuary Area before. There is another similar species that dwell in flat desert areas, the Schokari Sand Racer. It will be great to encounter and feature this awesome snake species as well.
Delete