by piscivorous » Wed Oct 12, 2005 8:58 pm
Elaphe guttata
(corn snake)
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2005/10/07 22:43:07.366 GMT-4
By Karen Resmer
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Colubridae
Genus: Elaphe
Species: Elaphe guttata
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Geographic Range
Corn snakes may be found in the eastern United States from southern New Jersey south through Florida, west into Louisiana and parts of Kentucky. However, corn snakes are most abundant in Florida and the southeastern U.S.
Biogeographic Regions:
nearctic (native ).
Habitat
Corn snakes may be found in wooded groves, rocky hillsides, meadowlands, woodlots, barns, and abandoned buildings.
Terrestrial Biomes:
savanna or grassland ; forest .
Physical Description
Corn snakes are slender with a length of 61-182 cm. They are usually orange or brownish-yellow, with large, black-edged red blotches down the middle of the back. On the belly there are alternating rows of black and white marks, resembling a checkerboard pattern. Considerable variation occurs in the coloration and patterns of individual snakes, depending on the age of the snake and the region of the country in which it is found. Hatchlings lack much of the bright coloration found on adults.
Some key physical features:
ectothermic ; bilateral symmetry .
Reproduction
The breeding season of corn snakes is from March to May. The snakes are oviparous, depositing a clutch of 10 to 30 eggs in late May to July. Eggs are laid in rotting stumps, piles of decaying vegetation or other similar locations where there is sufficient heat and humidity to incubate them. The eggs are not cared for by the adult snakes. Once laid, the gestation period of the eggs is 60-65 days at approximately 82 degrees F. The eggs then hatch sometime in July through September. Hatchlings are 25-38 cm long and mature in 18-36 months.
Key reproductive features:
gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate).
Behavior
Corn snakes are primarily nocturnal, but are often active in early evening. They readily climb trees and enter abandoned buildings in search of prey. However, they are very secretive and spend most of their time underground prowling through rodent burrows. They also often hide under loose bark and beneath logs, rocks, and other debris during the day. Not much is known about the reproductive behaviors of corn snakes.
Key behaviors:
motile .
Food Habits
Corn snakes do not usually feed every day. They generally feed every few days or so. Young hatchlings tend to feed on lizards and tree frogs, while adult feed on larger prey, such as mice, rats, birds, and bats. They are constrictors, meaning they will use their coils to suffocate their food before eating it. First a corn snake will bite the prey in order to obtain a firm grip, then it quickly wraps one or more coils of its body around the victim. The snake squeezes tightly until it suffocates the prey. Then it swallows the food whole, usually head first. However, corn snakes have also been observed swallowing small prey alive.
Economic Importance for Humans: Positive
Corn snakes help to control rodent populations that may otherwise spread disease. They are also widely popular as pets. They are the most frequently bred snake species for pet purposes.
Conservation Status
Corn snakes are often mistaken for copperheads and sometimes killed because of this. Also, because of their docile temperament, they are often kept as pets. Sometimes they are captured in the wild to be sold as pets. However, there are many snake breeders, so wild capturing does not pose a serious threat to this species. Corn snakes are not an endangered species. However, they are listed by the state of Florida as a Species of Special Concern because they face habitat loss and destruction in the lower Florida Keys.
Other Comments
Corn snakes are also known as Red Rat Snakes. Corn snakes are a nonvenomous species.
The life span of the snakes is up to 23 years in captivity, but is generally much less in the wild.
The name corn snake is believed to have originated from the similarity of the markings on the belly to the checkered pattern of kernels of Indian corn.