Grey Hornbill

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EASTERN INDIGO SNAKE Common Names: “Blue bullsnake,” “blue gopher”. (In Latin America called cribos.) Order: Squamata Suborder: Serpentes Family: Colubridae Latin Name: Drymarchon corais couperi Habitat and Range: Primarily southeast Georgia, Florida and the Florida Keys (although they have been observed in neighboring states). Sandy soiled, open woodlands, especially areas of pine and scrub oaks, palmetto stands; near canals and other water sources; agricultural areas such as orange and mango orchards; gopher tortoise burrows. Description: Large, glossy, entirely blue-black snake with a red, orange, or reddish-brown throat. (Some have white patches on lips or throat.) Scales normally large and smooth (but some large males may have faintly keeled scales on as many as five mid-dorsal rows). Adult Size: 60-84”; record 103½”. Life Span: Record in captivity, according to Audubon, is nearly 26 years. Diet in the Wild: Frogs, small mammals, birds, other snakes (including venomous ones), lizards. Indigo snakes frequently consume small turtles, which is extremely unusual for snakes. Captive snakes also will eat fish. Reproduction: Breeding period: November-February. Clutch size 5-12 leathery eggs, 3-4” long, deposited in rotting logs and mammal and gopher tortoise burrows. Hatchlings 19-26” long, patterned with whitish bands. Perils: Humans. habitat loss and the Pet trade. Interesting Facts. There is only one species of indigo snake. The indigo is neither venomous nor a constrictor. Prey is quickly seized, immobilized by a body loop or coil, and rapidly swallowed. When disturbed, it hisses, vibrates its tail, and flattens its neck vertically (not horizontally as do the hognose snakes). Unfortunately it is fairly docile once captured. This is a restless snake which tends to be very “busy” when handled. Ecology: The indigo is a benign, beneficial snake causing no problems to human beings. Unfortunately it is vanishing from the wild. Because of its beauty and temperament it once was one of the most sought after species of snake for the pet trade. Habitat destruction has further reduced its numbers. Especially critical is the loss of gopher tortoise burrows, in which this species and many other species of mammals, reptiles, arthropods, etc., typically take refuge. 7/07 Folklore/Human Culture: Indigo snakes, including imported tropical ones, were long popular with snake charmers and carnival “pit” shows, in which they were exhibited as “blue bull snakes” or “blue gophers.” These names still are in use in some areas. Current Status: Indigo snakes are protected in Florida and Texas (and perhaps elsewhere.) Such laws do little to help endangered and threatened species unless the habitat is protected, also. Diet at the Zoo: Rodents Primary References: Alden, P., R. Cech, and G . Nelson, National Audubon Society Field Guide to Florida. New York: Alfred A. Kopf, 1998. Behler, J. L., and F. W. King, Eds. National Audubon Society Field Guide to NA Reptiles and Amphibians. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1996. Conant, R., and J. T. Collins, Peterson Field Guides: Reptiles and Amphibians, Eastern/Central NA, Third Ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1991. Matison, C., Keeping and Breeding Snakes. New York: Sterling Publishers, Inc., 1996. Mehrtens, J.M., Living Snakes of the World. New York: Sterling Publishers, Inc., 1987. 7/07 .

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Birds, Reptiles, Amphibians, Vascular Plants, and Habitat in the Gila River Riparian Zone in Southwestern New Mexico

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Pituophis Catenifer

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Eastern Indigo Snake (Flier)

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Final Rule to List Reticulated Python And

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Adult Red-Headed Woodpecker Interac- Tion with Bullsnake After Arboreal Nest Depredation

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Where Are Shortgrass Prairies in Wyoming? Basically, Shortgrass Prairie Is Found in the Eastern One-Third of Wyoming, in the Rain Shadow of the Rocky Mountains

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Indigo Snake Fact Sheet

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Great Basin Gophersnake,Pituophis Catenifer Deserticola

COSEWIC Assessment and Status Report on the Great Basin Gophersnake Pituophis catenifer deserticola in Canada THREATENED 2013 COSEWIC status reports are working documents used in assigning the status of wildlife species suspected of being at risk. This report may be cited as follows: COSEWIC. 2013. COSEWIC assessment and status report on the Great Basin Gophersnake Pituophis catenifer deserticola in Canada. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Ottawa. xii + 53 pp. (www.registrelep-sararegistry.gc.ca/default_e.cfm). Previous report(s): COSEWIC 2002. COSEWIC assessment and status report on the Gophersnake Pituophis catenifer in Canada. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Ottawa. vii + 33 pp. Waye, H., and C. Shewchuk. 2002. COSEWIC status report on the Gophersnake Pituophis catenifer in Canada in COSEWIC assessment and status report on the Gophersnake Pituophis catenifer in Canada. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Ottawa. 1-33 pp. Production note: COSEWIC would like to acknowledge Lorraine Andrusiak and Mike Sarell for writing the update status report on Great Basin Gophersnake (Pituophis catenifer deserticola) in Canada, prepared under contract with Environment Canada. This report was overseen and edited by Kristiina Ovaska, Co-chair of the COSEWIC Amphibians and Reptiles Specialist Subcommittee. For additional copies contact: COSEWIC Secretariat c/o Canadian Wildlife Service Environment Canada Ottawa, ON K1A 0H3 Tel.: 819-953-3215 Fax: 819-994-3684 E-mail: COSEWIC/[email protected] http://www.cosewic.gc.ca Également disponible en français sous le titre Ếvaluation et Rapport de situation du COSEPAC sur la Couleuvre à nez mince du Grand Bassi (Pituophis catenifer deserticola) au Canada.
Drymarchon Couperi) to Chemical and Visual Stimuli of Mus Musculus

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An Eastern Indigo Snake (Drymarchon Couperi) Mark-Recapture Study in Southeastern Georgia

Herpetological Conservation and Biology 4(1):30-42 Submitted: 30 March 2008; Accepted: 18 March 2009 AN EASTERN INDIGO SNAKE (DRYMARCHON COUPERI) MARK- RECAPTURE STUDY IN SOUTHEASTERN GEORGIA 1,2 3 1,4 1,5 DIRK J. STEVENSON , KEVIN M. ENGE , LAWRENCE D. CARLILE , KAREN J. DYER , TERRY 6 7,8 9 M. NORTON , NATALIE L. HYSLOP , AND RICHARD A. KILTIE 1Directorate of Public Works, Environmental Division, Wildlife Management Branch, 1557 Frank Cochran Drive, Fort Stewart, Georgia 31314, USA 2Project Orianne, Ltd., The Indigo Snake Initiative, 414 Club Drive, Hinesville, Georgia 31313, USA, e-mail: [email protected] 3Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, 1105 SW Williston Road, Gainesville, Florida 32601,USA, e-mail: [email protected] 4e-mail: [email protected] 5current address: Audubon’s Tavernier Science Center, 115 Indian Mound Trail, Tavernier, Florida 33070, USA, e-mail: [email protected] 6St. Catherines Island Foundation, 182 Camelia Road, Midway, Georgia 31320, USA, e-mail: [email protected] 7Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, The University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602, USA 8Current address: Department of Wildlife Ecology, University of Florida, 324 Newins-Ziegler Hall, Gainesville, Florida 32611-0430, USA, e-mail: [email protected] 9Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, 4005 South Main Street, Gainesville, Florida 32601, USA, e-mail: [email protected] Abstract.—Recovery of the Eastern Indigo Snake (Drymarchon couperi) that is federally listed as threatened will require population monitoring throughout the species’ range. From 1998 through 2006, we used mark-recapture methods to monitor D. couperi at Fort Stewart, Georgia, USA.
North Sandlin Bay Ecosystem Restoration Biological Assessment

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