Eastern Indigo Snake

Drymarchon corais couperi

Status in the Wild: Threatened

Range: Southern Georgia through the peninsula of Florida to the Florida Keys.

Habitat: They prefer living near water in stands of pine, turkey oak and/or palmetto.

Size: The long and heavy-bodied indigo averages five to seven feet in length at maturity.

Description: Indigos are glossy blue-black in color, with large smooth scales. Chins and face-sides are sometimes reddish brown, rust colored, orange, tan or red.

Although generally quite docile, if threatened it may flatten its head, vertically flatten its neck, rapidly vibrate its tail and hiss.

General Information: In drier areas of its range, the indigo often uses the burrows of gopher tortoises. In the northern part of its range, it will even winter in this tortoise’s burrow.

Diet: In the wild, the indigo preys on frogs, small mammals, birds, lizards, and other snakes, including venomous snakes. It immobilizes all prey items with its powerful jaws and holds them tight to the ground with a "body press."

Reproduction: Females lay five to twelve leathery eggs in April or May. Hatchlings appear between July and October and are 19 to 26 inches long.

Threats to Species: In the past, thousands of indigos were taken from the wild and sold as pets. The state of Florida extended its protection of this beautiful snake in 1974. The U.S. government declared the eastern indigo snake a threatened species in 1978. It became the third snake to receive this legal protection. Numbers are still declining, however, because of habitat destruction.