As is the case for most juvenile North American racers ... It's not uncommon to mistake the black-masked racer for an adult black rat snake or another black snake, especially when it's slithering ...

a young rat snake, and a juvenile eastern diamond-backed rattlesnake, which was still alive. “This rattlesnake must have been a little too ‘undercooked’ for the indigo snake, considering it ...

where a rat snake was observed consuming a juvenile Indian rock python. Notably, the rat snake completely engulfed the python alive. A manuscript detailing this natural history behaviour ...