Is the coachwhip venomous?

The coachwhip is harmless. Harmless. It does not chase people and it cannot whip anything.

How do you identify a coachwhip?

Very long and very thin, with a tail whose scale pattern looks like braided leather. Head usually much darker than the tail, fading gradually along the body.

Where do coachwhips live?

They are found in 19 US states, in habitats including grassland, desert, woods and farmland.

Coachwhip

Harmless

Masticophis flagellum · also called red racer, whip snake

The coachwhip is a long, whip-thin, extremely fast diurnal hunter of open country. It is the source of the persistent folk tale that a snake will chase a person and whip them to death, which it will not — but a coachwhip fleeing towards the nearest burrow, which happens to be behind you, does a convincing impression.

Venom: Harmless. It does not chase people and it cannot whip anything.
Adult length: 42–84 inches (107–213 cm)
Markings: Typically dark at the head and fading to tan or pink towards the tail, where the scale pattern resembles a braided whip. Western 'red racer' populations are pink or red.
Habitat: grassland, desert, woods, farmland
Family: colubrid
Range: 19 US states

How to identify a coachwhip

Very long and very thin, with a tail whose scale pattern looks like braided leather.
Head usually much darker than the tail, fading gradually along the body.
Blistering speed and large eyes.
Frequently seen with the head raised, periscoping above grass.

What it does when it sees you

Flees first. If cornered it strikes hard and repeatedly, and it will bite. Non-venomous but the bite from a large one can draw blood.

What the coachwhip is confused with

One test settles each of these.

North American racer →

Racers are uniform in colour; coachwhips fade from a dark head to a pale tail.

Where it lives

Alabama Arkansas Arizona California Colorado Florida Georgia Kansas Louisiana Mississippi Missouri Nevada New Mexico North Carolina Oklahoma South Carolina Tennessee Texas Utah

Before anything else

Back away and leave it alone. A snake that can see you leaving has no reason to bite. Most bites in the United States happen to people who picked up, cornered, or tried to kill a snake.
Never handle a snake to identify it. Every identification on this site can be made from a photo or from several feet away.
If someone is bitten, call emergency services now. Keep the limb still and below the heart, remove rings and watches, and go to hospital. Do not cut, suck, apply ice, or use a tourniquet — all of these make outcomes worse.
Do not try to catch the snake for identification. A photo from a distance is enough, and hospitals treat symptoms rather than species.

In the US, the Poison Help line is 1-800-222-1222. This site is a reference, not medical advice.

Not sure it was a coachwhip? Identify it step by step →