| |
|
|
| |
| SCIENTIFIC
CLASSIFICATION |
|
| COMMON
NAME: |
Eastern
corn snake, corn snake,
red rat snake, chicken snake |
| KINGDOM: |
Animalia |
| PHYLUM: |
Chordata |
| CLASS: |
Reptilia |
| ORDER: |
Squamata |
| FAMILY: |
Colubridae |
| GENUS
SPECIES: |
Elaphe (the deer) guttata (speck or
spot) guttata |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| DESCRIPTION: |
Narrow-bodied
snake; usually orange and yellow with large red
splotches on back; white and black checkered belly;
underside of tail generally has two dark stripes;
spear-shaped pattern on head and neck |
|
| SIZE: |
75-120 cm (2.5-4 ft.); record length 1.8 m (6 ft.) |
|
|
|
| DIET: |
Small
mammals, eggs, and birds |
|
| INCUBATION: |
62-65 days |
| CLUTCH
SIZE |
Up
to 30 eggs |
|
| SEXUAL
MATURITY: |
Determined
by size rather than age; most species begin to reproduce
when they reach approximately half their eventual
size |
|
| LIFE
SPAN: |
Up
to 23 years |
|
| RANGE: |
Throughout Florida and southeastern United States,
from southern New Jersey to Louisiana |
|
| HABITAT: |
Including wooded groves, rocky hills, meadows, barns,
and abandoned houses |
|
| POPULATION: |
GLOBAL |
No
data |
|
| STATUS: |
IUCN |
No
data |
| CITES |
Not
listed |
| USFWS |
Not
listed; subspecies Elaphe guttata rosacea
listed by state of Florida as Species of Special
Concern due to habitat destruction in lower Florida
Keys |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| 1. |
Like
many reptiles, the incubation temperature of their
eggs may determine the offsprings' sex; warmer temperatures
usually favor males, while cool temperatures favor
females. |
|
|
| 2. |
Some sources cite the origin of the common name
"corn snake" as arising from the similarity
of the belly markings to the checkered pattern of
kernels on Indian corn. Other sources refer to the
snake's association with corn cribs (structures
built by farmers to store harvested ears of corn),
where they would prey on rodent species scavenging
the crop. |
|
|
| 3. |
Like pythons and boas, corn snakes are constrictors,
which suffocate their prey. |
|
|
| 4. |
Eastern
corn snakes spend much of their time underground
prowling through rodent burrows. |
|
|
| 5. |
Within
the pet trade, this species is frequently bred for
albinism. |
|
|
| 6. |
Semi-arboreal,
Eastern corn snakes will occasionally climb trees
to reach and devour birds and their eggs. This behavior
though is more common in their truly arboreal cousin,
the yellow rat snake. |
|
|
| 7. |
One
way to tell the difference between corn snakes and
kingsnakes is by identifying the flat belly of the
corn snake as compared to the rounded belly of the
kingsnake. |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Many other important predators (i.e. birds-of-prey)
feed on young snakes. This means that snakes fulfill
roles as both predators and prey in regional food
chains. Eastern corn snakes are also valuable in
their role of curbing rodent populations, especially
those near human settlement. Because rodents often
live in barns and garages, this is where most humans
encounter them. Unfortunately, they suffer from
habitat destruction and alteration. Additionally,
corn snakes are well-represented in the pet trade. |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Areste,
Manuel and Cebrián, Rafael. Snakes of
the World. New York: Sterling Publishing Co.,
Inc., 2003.
|
|
| Bauchot,
Roland. Snakes: A Natural History. New York:
Sterling Pub. Co. 1994. |
|
|
Coborn,
John. The Atlas of Snakes of the World.
New Jersey: T.F.H. Publications, inc. 1991.
|
|
| Conant,
Roger, and Joseph T. Collins. A Field Guide to
Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North
America. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1991. |
|
| Mehrtens,
John M. Living Snakes of the World. New York:
Sterling Publishing Co., 1987. |
|
| www.kingsnake.com |
|
| http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/natsci/herpetology/fl-guide/Elaphegguttata.htm |
|
| http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/natsci/herpetology/fl-guide/Elaphegrosacea.htm |
|
|
|
|
|
