Southern black racer (scientific name: "Coluber constrictor"), the racer is more likely to suffocate or crush its victim into the ground, rather than coiling around it in typical constrictor fashion. Man remains the greatest enemy of black racers. Many are killed on highways and others are intentionally killed out of fear. The white chin causes some people to kill this snake, believing that it is a cottonmouth – a venomous snake more commonly called a water moccasin. The venomous snake has a white lining inside of its mouth. Racers are nonvenomous and do not breed with cottonmouths. Natural enemies include such birds of
Northern water snake eradication by humans, as well as habitat loss and degradation. When initially listed, the subspecies’ population had dropped to only 1,500 adults. Endangered Species Act (ESA) protections for the snake included designation of 300 acres (121 hectares) of inland habitat and 11 miles (18 km) of shoreline for breeding grounds. The introduction of an invasive species, the Eurasian round goby ("Neogobius melanostomus") into Lake Erie in the mid-1990s became a new food source for the Lake Erie water snake. By 2009, the population recovered to 11,980 snakes, safely exceeding the population minimum goal of 5,555 adult snakes required by the