It is a mildly venomous constrictor but it is not considered aggressive or harmful to humans.

The two subspecies are the eastern and western racers, the latter being larger, longer, and darker than the former.

The Galapagos racer is near threatened due to recently introduced species that feed on snake eggs, including pigs, rats, mice, and cats.

[4][5] In November 2016, a video clip from the BBC series Planet Earth II showing a group of Galápagos racers hunting marine iguana hatchlings became a viral trend.

[7] Originally classified as Herpetodryas biserialis by Albert Günther in 1860,[8] this species has been renamed numerous times since then.