© 2026 South Carolina Public Radio
Donate
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Nature
NatureNotes logo
NatureNotes

Southern Black Racers

By Rudy Mancke
Published September 28, 2018 at 5:42 AM EDT
A juvenile Southern Black Racer
Kevin Enge/Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's Fish and Wildlife Research Institute
A juvenile Southern Black Racer

This time of year you may see many Black Racer juveniles. These young snakes have blotchy patterns on their skin for the first year of life.

Tags
NatureNotes natureNatureNotesscetv.org
Stay Connected
Rudy Mancke
Rudy Mancke served as naturalist and co-host of South Carolina ETV's <i>NatureScene</i>, which began its long run in 1978. His field trips, broadcast nationwide, earned him a legion of dedicated viewers. Rudy's knowledge of the complex inner-workings of different ecosystems and his great admiration for the natural world make him the perfect guide. In fact, the National Wildlife Federation and the Garden Club of America honored his commitment to resource conservation with special awards. After retiring from SCETV, Rudy went on to become naturalist-in-residence at the University of South Carolina, Columbia. He hosted SC Public Radio's <i>NatureNotes</i> from 1999 until his death in 2023 at age 78.
See stories by Rudy Mancke