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The galapagos racer snake is the harmless little predator made world-famous by the BBC’s Planet Earth II, when dozens chased marine-iguana hatchlings across the lava. There are about nine endemic species, all found nowhere else, and none is a danger to humans. Here is what it is, how it hunts, and where you might see one. Want this on your itinerary? Tell us when you’re traveling and we’ll come back with a free quote within 24 hours.
Galapagos racer snake at a glance
- Genus: Pseudalsophis — about nine endemic species
- Size: slender, usually under 1 metre
- Venom: mildly venomous and rear-fanged, but harmless to humans
- Diet: lava lizards, geckos, insects, small birds and marine-iguana hatchlings
- Where: Fernandina, Isabela, Santa Cruz, Española and more
- Famous for: the BBC Planet Earth II marine-iguana hunt
What is it?
The galapagos racer snake belongs to the genus Pseudalsophis, with about nine endemic species or races — all of them found only in the Galapagos. They are slim, usually under a metre long, and brown with stripes or spots. You will often see them basking on rocks or hunting out in the open.
The BBC-famous marine-iguana hunt
In 2016 the galapagos racer became a TV star, when the BBC’s Planet Earth II filmed dozens of snakes streaming across the Fernandina lava in pursuit of newly hatched marine iguanas. The heart-stopping chase — one tiny iguana sprinting through a tangle of snakes — became one of the most-watched wildlife sequences ever made.
Is it dangerous?
Not to you. The snake is mildly venomous and rear-fanged, which it uses to subdue small prey, but it is completely harmless to humans. It would much rather flee than confront a person, and there is no record of it being a threat to visitors.
What it eats
The galapagos snake is an active hunter of small animals: lava lizards, geckos, insects, the occasional small bird, and famously the hatchlings of marine iguanas. It subdues prey with a weak venom and a quick wrap of its body. We build this into our Isabela Island tour.
6-Day Explore the Wonders of Galapagos Islands Isabela Adventure Tour
From $1,800 p.p.
- Sleep in island hotels, not a cruise cabin
- Local naturalist guides
- Flexible day-by-day island hopping
Where to see it
Watch the open, rocky ground:
- Fernandina and Isabela — the lava shores of the Planet Earth II sequence.
- Santa Cruz, Española and more — basking on rocks or hunting by day.
- Around marine-iguana colonies — especially during the iguana hatching season.
Quick facts
A few more galapagos racer snake facts:
- It belongs to the genus Pseudalsophis, with about nine endemic species.
- It is mildly venomous but harmless to humans.
- It was made famous by BBC Planet Earth II in 2016.
- It hunts lizards, geckos, insects, birds and iguana hatchlings.
- It is usually under a metre long and active by day.
Pseudalsophis: the galapagos racer family
The genus pseudalsophis covers about nine endemic snakes, the only land snakes the archipelago has, all descended from ancestors that drifted across from South America long ago. Each major island tends to have its own form, so what looks like one animal is really a small family of closely related species and races. Slim, brown and patterned with stripes or spots, they are the islands’ quiet, ground-level predators.
As a true island lineage, the galapagos racer evolved in the near-absence of large predators and with a narrow menu of available prey, which shaped both its modest size and its bold, daytime hunting style. Seeing one slip across open lava is a reminder that even snakes reached these remote islands and made them home.
Is the galapagos snake dangerous?
The short answer is no. The galapagos snake is mildly venomous and rear-fanged, using a weak venom to subdue lizards and other small prey, but it poses no threat whatsoever to people. It would far rather flee than confront a human, and there is no record of it harming a visitor. Handling wildlife is forbidden in any case, so the sensible rule is simply to watch and enjoy from a respectful distance.
Its hunting, by contrast, is anything but timid. It actively chases down fast prey in the open, combining a quick strike, that mild venom and a swift coil of the body to overpower lizards, geckos, insects, nestling birds and the hatchlings of marine iguanas. For a small snake it is a remarkably capable hunter.
Galapagos racer snake facts and the BBC hunt
A few galapagos racer snake facts explain its sudden fame. In 2016 the BBC’s Planet Earth II filmed dozens of these snakes pouring across the Fernandina lava to ambush newly hatched marine iguanas, and the heart-stopping chase — one tiny iguana sprinting through a tangle of predators — became one of the most-watched wildlife sequences ever broadcast.
Beyond that moment, the animal is usually under a metre long, active by day, and found on many islands including Fernandina, Isabela, Santa Cruz and Española. It is most often seen basking on warm rock or hunting near marine-iguana colonies during the hatching season. Far more drama than danger, it is a harmless endemic that happens to star in one of nature’s greatest chase scenes.
One of the first things visitors ask is whether these reptiles are dangerous. They are technically venomous — rear-fanged, with a mild toxin they use to subdue lava lizards, geckos, insects and hatchling marine iguanas — but they pose no real threat to people. The venom is weak, the fangs sit far back in the mouth, and the animals would far rather flee than bite. A grip from one feels like a gentle squeeze; constriction, not venom, does most of the work of holding prey still.
Many travellers arrive already knowing these serpents from television. The BBC’s Planet Earth II turned a Fernandina beach into one of the most famous wildlife sequences ever filmed, as a knot of them burst from the rocks to chase a newly hatched marine iguana across the sand. The drama was real, if a little compressed by editing: most hunts are patient, solitary affairs. Adults typically reach somewhere between 80 centimetres and a little over a metre, slender and fast, far smaller than the screen makes them look.
Frequently asked questions
Are galapagos racer snakes poisonous or dangerous?
They are mildly venomous and rear-fanged, used on small prey, but completely harmless to humans.
How big is the galapagos racer snake?
Slender and usually under a metre long, brown with stripes or spots.
What does it eat?
Lava lizards, geckos, insects, small birds and the hatchlings of marine iguanas.
Why is it famous?
The BBC’s Planet Earth II filmed dozens of them hunting marine-iguana hatchlings on Fernandina in 2016, one of the most-watched wildlife scenes ever.
Where can you see it?
On open lava and rocky ground on Fernandina, Isabela, Santa Cruz, Española and other islands, often basking by day.
Are Galapagos racer snakes venomous?
Yes, but harmlessly so. They are mildly venomous, rear-fanged snakes that use a weak toxin and constriction to subdue small prey such as lizards and iguana hatchlings. They are not dangerous to humans and would rather flee than bite.
Meeting the islands’ famous hunter
The galapagos racer snake is far more drama than danger — a harmless endemic that happens to star in one of nature’s greatest chase scenes. Spot one slipping over the lava and you have met a true Galapagos celebrity.
Read more at the Galapagos Conservation Trust, or meet its prey the marine iguana and the rest of the cast in Galapagos islands animals.
Header photo: D. Gordon E. Robertson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
