Overview
“Where I live”
Eastern indigo snakes are native to the southeastern United States. They prefer longleaf pine forest habitats, but may also be found in sandhills, dry prairies, edges of freshwater marshes, and even human-altered spaces such as agricultural fields.
“How I live there”
The eastern indigo snake lives in close relationship with the gopher tortoise, a keystone species of the longleaf pine ecosystem. Gopher tortoises create deep burrows that indigo snakes use for shelter and to control their body temperature. The burrows also protect all the species using them from potential predators and from wildfires.
Although IUCN currently indicates the species at low risk for extinction, eastern indigo snakes are federally listed as Threatened. The primary threat is the loss of critical habitat as longleaf pine ecosystems are destroyed to clear land for housing and commercial development. An indirect, but important, threat to eastern indigo snakes is the decline in gopher tortoises, whom the snakes rely on for access to burrows. Gopher tortoise populations have suffered from the same loss of habitat as indigo snakes, but they are also threatened by collection for the pet trade.
“Making my mark”
Although eastern indigo snakes are non-venomous and unrelated to rattlesnakes, they can mimic some rattlesnake behaviors when threatened. In the face of a threat, an indigo snake will flatten its neck, hiss, and vibrate its tail, behaviors that can appear to the potential predator as a much riskier meal.
“What eats me”
Hawks, alligators, coyotes, skunks, foxes, opossums, and larger snakes may all prey on eastern indigo snakes. Even fire ants have been identified as indigo snake predators.
Raising Young
Because eastern indigo snakes are solitary, breeding relies on the use of scents called pheromones produced by females that are ready to mate. A male picks up on the scent and tracks it to the female. If other males are present, they will engage in a form of combat, attempting to force the head of the other to the ground. After mating, females will lay their eggs in sheltered locations such as fallen logs or gopher tortoise burrows. Once females lay the eggs, however, they provide no other parental care.
Taxonomy
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Chordata
- Subphylum: Vertebrata
- Class: Reptila
- Order: Squamata
- Family: Colubridae
- Genera: Drymarchon
- Species: couperi