Presently found                       Commonly found in Southeast U.S. from Maryland to the Gulf Coast. 

Habitat                                Wooded groves, rocky hillsides, meadowlands, woodlots, barns, abandoned buildings and farm areas. Primarily terrestrial, although some are semi arboreal 

Size                                      2.5 – 5 feet

Lifespan                      Can live 20 –25 years

Description                     Highly variable in coloration and pattern depending on their age of the snake and the area of the country in which the snake is found.  Generally very colorful, with most displaying vivid red and orange blotches with black speckles.  The belly of the snake usually consists of alternating rows of black, white and orange, resembling a checkerboard pattern. 

Diet                                       Mice and small rodents, frogs, lizards and small birds.  Their zoo diet consists of mice fed once a week. 

Defense                             They are semi constrictors and kill their prey by suffocating them in their coils. When startled, they will rattle their tails back and forth in the leaves in order to stimulate a rattlesnake.  They have many predators, especially raptors. 

Reproduction                 Breeding season is from March to May.  The snakes are oviparous, depositing a clutch of 10-30 eggs in May to July.  Eggs are laid in rotting stumps. Piles of decaying vegetation or other similar locations where heat and humidity are sufficient to incubate them.  Eggs are not cared for by the snakes.  The eggs hatch in 60-65 days at approx. 82 degrees F.  They become mature in 18-36 months. 

Senses                         Forked tongue samples air and Jacobson’s organ in roof of mouth translates into taste and smell. Poor eyesight. 

Extra fun info                 They are named for the colorful Indian corn pattern on their belly, and also because they are frequently found in or around corn fields and early settlers believed they were eating the corn when or course they weren’t eating the corn, they were eating the mice in the corn fields.

They are often mistaken for copperheads and sometimes killed for this. 

They are very common pets, due to their docile temperament.  They are very commonly bred for color variations.           

Eastern Indigo

Drymarchon corais couperi

Habitat                        Strongly associated with high, dry, well-drained sandy soils, closely paralleling the sandhill habitat preferred by the gopher tortoise. During warmer months, indigos also frequent streams and swamps, and individuals are occasionally found in flat woods. Gopher tortoise burrows and other subterranean cavities are commonly used as dens and for egg laying.

Size                            Max. 8 feet. Largest non-venomous snakes in North America.        

Age                             25 years.

Description                The color in both young and adults is shiny bluish-black, including the belly, with some red or cream coloring about the chin and sides of the head. Sunlight reflects off the indigo's scales as a bright iridescent indigo blue with a coppery sheen.

Diet                             The indigo subdues its prey (including venomous snakes) through the use of its powerful jaws, swallowing the prey usually still alive. Natural diet includes snakes, frogs, salamanders, toads, small mammals, birds, and occasionally young turtles. ZOO diet is mice, once a week.

Defense                     When cornered, it flattens its neck vertically, hisses and vibrates its tail.

Reproduction            Sexual maturity at 3 to 4 years of age. Mating begins in November, peaks in December, and continues into March. Clutches averaging eight to nine eggs laid in late spring hatch approximately 3 months later. The snakes remain active to some degree throughout the winter, often emerging from their dens whenever air temperatures exceed 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

Status                         Threatened. Decline is attributed to loss of habitat from farming, construction, forestry, pasture, etc., and to over-collecting for the pet trade. The snake's large size and docile nature have made it much sought after as a pet.

Rattlesnake hunters often pour gasoline down these burrows to drive out the snakes. (Rattlesnakes and indigos use same type of burrows.)They also fall victim to domestic dogs, commercial collecting, gassing of gopher tortoise burrows, chemicals, and hunting.

Extra fun info            ¨ When caught, it seldom attempts to bite.

       ¨ Were long popular with snake charmers and carnival pit shows where they were exhibited as “blue gophers”.

Size                          Hatchlings 7-9 in. and adults 36-48 in.  Record is 72in. 

Lifespan                Approximately 20 years. 

Description         They are a dark brown or black coloration over most of the body.  Yellow dots are spaced, normally one per scale, along the top of the snake.  Juvies tend to be dark olive-green color, but this fades to purer black as the snake ages.  Albinos and hypomelanistics have been wild caught; they lack the black pigmentation, but retain the yellow speckling.  Two spots in the center of the head and 2-4 yellow lines on the edges of the dorsal surface of the head.  The underside is normally light yellow with alternating dark blotches. 

Diet                           They tend to be aggressive feeders and eat on everything from frogs, anoles, geckos, birds, eggs, fish, snakes and venomous snakes.  They mainly feed on rodents and other small mammals.  They are partially immune to venom. 

Defense                 Hissing, strikes and vibrating of tail. (No rattles, but tail rustling in leaves creates similar sound.)  Have anti-toxins in the blood that make them almost immune to the venom of indigenous venomous snakes.

Reproduction     2-24 eggs laid in May-August under leaves and plant litter. Hatch in 60 days. Young are 7-8 inches. Young must be separated or they will eat each other.  Pairs must be closely monitored during introduction for same reason.  Same goes for Milksnakes. 

Senses                   Forked tongue samples air and Jacobson's organ in roof of mouth translates into taste and smell. Poor sight.

Other Info             ¨ Chiefly terrestrial but sometimes climbs.

¨ Can eat rattlesnakes, copperheads and almost any other smaller snake. Venom seems to have little effect on kingsnakes. Are known as “The king of snakes for this reason.

The smell trails left by resident Kingsnakes are the only effective venomous snake repellant.  Known to locals as “The Salt and Pepper snake.” 

Western Cottonmouth

(Agkistrodon piscivorus leucostoma)                                                              

Presently found:  Gulf Coast from Texas to Alabama, north to Missouri and Virginia

Habitat: freshwater wetlands, rivers, marshes, ditches, and lakes

Size: (30 inches to 60 inches) in length

Lifespan: 15 to 20 years (record is over 21 years)        

Description: Thick-bodied, aquatic, venomous snake with olive to dark brown scales. Slight banding pattern may be visible. Cottonmouth snakes are named for the white inside of the mouth, which is displayed as a defensive warning. Cottonmouths have dark banding along the sides of the eyes that resemble a raccoon’s “mask”. The cottonmouth is a pit viper, and a pair of heat-sensing “pits” can be seen below the eyes.  These allow the snake to detect prey with greater accuracy.

Diet:  The piscivorus part of the cottonmouth’s scientific name means “fish-eater”, though they will also eat frogs, salamanders, small mammals, and other water snakes. Prey are subdued with venom before being swallowed whole. 

Reproduction: Breeding occurs in the springtime, and the gestation period is about 3 to 4 months. Cottonmouths are oviviparous, meaning the eggs are incubated and hatch within the body of the female. Females give birth to up to 15 live young (versus laying eggs). Juvenile cottonmouths are often mistaken for copperheads due to the reddish coloration. They also have sulfur-yellow tail tips that are used to lure smaller prey. The yellow tail fades with age.  

Status: Common throughout their range, though numbers have declined in areas of habitat destruction.

Other Fun Info:      

·         The venom of the conttonmouth is hemotoxic – it breaks down blood components such as cells and clotting factors.  This is in contrast to the neurotoxin of some venomous snakes (such as the coral snake) that acts on the nervous system.

·        Cottonmouth snakes are often referred to as cottonmouth moccasins or water moccasins. This can be confusing, as all species of water-dwelling snakes can also be called “moccasins”. People often mistakenly believe that any snake they see in the water is a venomous moccasin.