Eastern Indigo Snake
(Drymarchon corais)

Physical Description:

Grows up to 8.6 feet in length
Lustrous blue-black color
Sides of head, chin and throat area are suffused with orange/red color

Range:

Historically found from southern South Carolina south and west to Mississippi.
Today found only in Georgia and Florida

Habitat Description:

Cold Months: concentrate on upland sandhill ridges and use gopher tortoise burrows extensively
Warm Months: daylight hours are spent foraging the edges of floodplain swamps, cypress ponds or other wetlands imbedded in longleaf pine landscape.

Feeding:

Immobilizes food with its jaws (does not constrict)
Prey usually eaten alive
Feeds on birds, small mammals, frogs, small turtles, fish and snakes (including venomous ones)

Breeding:

Females lay between 5-10 eggs (usually in the moist sand of tortoise burrows)
Males fiercely defend territory

Interesting Trivia:

Largest North American snake
Long-lived (one captive snake lived nearly 26 years)
When disturbed, it hisses, vibrates its tail, and flattens its neck.
Males have been known to cannibalize other males
Have been known to consume eastern diamondback rattlesnakes
May range over an area of 250 acres or more

Status:

Threatened

Causes for Decline:

Habitat degradation through coastal development, agriculture, forestry operations, fire suppression
Collection for the pet trade
Indiscriminate killing