racer

racer
/ray"seuhr/, n.
1. a person, animal, or thing that races or takes part in a race, as a racehorse, bicycle, yacht, etc.
2. anything having great speed.
3. See racing skate.
4. a turntable on which a heavy gun is turned.
5. any of several slender, active snakes of the genera Coluber and Masticophis.
[1640-50; RACE1 + -ER1]

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Any of several slender, swift snakes (subspecies of Coluber constrictor, family Colubridae) of North and Central America and Asia.

Racers have a long tail, big eyes, and smooth scales. Colour and pattern vary among subspecies, some of which grow to 6 ft (1.8 m) long. Among the fastest of snakes, racers can move at 3.5 mph (5.6 km/hr). They hold down their prey, usually a small warm-blooded animal, by the weight of their coils and then swallow it. If cornered, they vibrate the tail and strike repeatedly with a sideways motion that tears a victim's skin. See also black snake.

Racer (Coluber constrictor)

© 1971 Z. Leszczynski
Animals Animals

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snake
 any of several large, swift nonvenomous snakes belonging to the family Colubridae. Racers of North America belong to a single species, Coluber constrictor, and several species of the genus Elaphe in Southeast Asia are called racers. Blue racers are the central and western North American subspecies of C. constrictor; they are plain bluish, greenish blue, gray, or brownish, sometimes with yellow bellies. The eastern subspecies is called black snake; it is all black except for a patch of white on its chin and throat. (For the similar black rat snake, see rat snake.) The young of all subspecies are blotched or spotted.

      C. constrictor ranges from southern Canada to Guatemala. Despite its scientific name, C. constrictor does not kill by constriction; it holds down its prey—usually a small warm-blooded animal—by the weight of its coils, then swallows it.

      North American racers are slender and long-tailed, with big eyes and smooth scales. Some are 1.8 metres (about 6 feet) long. They are active by day and are among the fastest of snakes, moving at a speed of about 5.6 km (3.5 miles) per hour on the ground and through bushes. If cornered they vibrate the tail and strike repeatedly. In the western United States, colour phases of the coachwhip are called red racers and western black racers. Compare coachwhip.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • racer — [ rasɶr; rɛsɶr ] n. m. • 1883; « cheval de course » 1846; mot angl., proprt « coureur » ♦ Anglic. Sport Yacht à voile ou à moteur destiné à la course. ♢ Anciennt Petite automobile de course, de faible cylindrée. ● racer nom masculin (anglais… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Racer X — may refer to: *Racer X (band), a Los Angeles based heavy metal band *Racer X, a character from the 1960s Japanese anime Speed Racer * Racer X Illustrated , a magazine about motocross racingSee also: * Racer X , a 1984 EP by Big Black …   Wikipedia

  • Racer — Entwickler Ruud van Gaal Aktuelle Version 0.8.35 (11. September 2011) Betriebssystem Linux, Mac OS, Windows Kategorie Rennsimulation …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Racer — may refer to:Snakes: * Coluber , a genus of harmless colubrid snakes. * Drymobius , a.k.a. neotropical racers, a genus of harmless colubrid snakes. * Masticophis , a.k.a. whip snakes or coachwhips, a genus of harmless genus of colubrid snakes. *… …   Wikipedia

  • Racer X — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Racer X es una banda de Heavy Metal fundada en 1984 en Los Angeles, California. La banda fue fundada por el guitarrista Paul Gilbert y el bajista Juan Alderete (dicho bajista luego se fue e ingresó a The Mars Volta) …   Wikipedia Español

  • Racer — Ra cer (r[=a] s[ e]r), n. 1. One who, or that which, races, or contends in a race; esp., a race horse. [1913 Webster] And bade the nimblest racer seize the prize. Pope. [1913 Webster] 2. (Zo[ o]l.) The common American black snake. [1913 Webster]… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Racer X — Allgemeine Informationen Genre(s) Speed Metal Gründung 1985 Auflösung 1989 Neugründung 1999 Website …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Racer X — es una banda de Heavy Metal fundada en 1984. Su formacion original estaba compuesta por Paul Gilbert (guitarra), Jeff Martin (voz), John Alderete (bajo) y Harry Gschoesser (batería). Se hizo conocida por el estilo rápido y técnico de tocar la… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • racer — /re(i)ser, ingl. ˈreɪsə(r)/ [vc. ingl., propriamente «corridore», da to race «gareggiare in velocità»] s. m. inv. motoscafo da regata …   Sinonimi e Contrari. Terza edizione

  • racer — [rās′ər] n. 1. any person, animal, vehicle, etc. that takes part in races ☆ 2. any of several slim, swift, harmless colubrid snakes (genus Coluber), as the American blacksnake …   English World dictionary

  • Racer X — Pour l album de Big Black, voir Racer X. Racer X Pays d’origine   …   Wikipédia en Français

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