Look closely! He is sometimes partially buried in the substrate, resting underneath the plants, or up in the branches. Hunting during the day, an indigo forages for a wide variety of prey, including small mammals, birds, fish, frogs and toads, small turtles and other snakes. Classification:Įastern indigo snakes inhabit a variety of sandhill regions in select areas of Florida, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi. This male snake arrived at ZooAmerica in November 2021. Our eastern Indigo snake hatched on September 5, 2020, at the North Carolina Zoo. In 1978, the eastern indigo snake was listed as a threatened species and given protection under the Endangered Species Act. Once found throughout the coastal plain of the southeastern US, its current range is now limited mostly to southern Georgia and Florida. Habitat loss, over-collection, and the destruction of tortoise burrows have all contributed to the decline of this species. An indigo snake often uses a gopher tortoise burrow for shelter and protection. The snake that rivals an Indigo snake in. The male Eastern Indigo snakes grow faster than the females. The size of Indigo snakes varies based on gender, the males grow to a size of 3.9-8.5 ft, whereas the females grow to a size of 3.6-6.6 ft. Not a constrictor, the indigo snake subdues its prey with powerful jaws, then pins it to the ground and swallows it while still alive. The Eastern Indigo snake, Drymarchon couperi, is considered the longest snake in the Colubridae family. This large thick-bodied snake has a glossy blue-black color with scales that are iridescent in the sunlight. The Eastern indigo snake’s name comes from its unique blue-black, glossy scales. So far, a total of 227 snakes have been introduced to Alabama's forests.The eastern indigo snake is the longest snake in North America and can reach lengths of over eight feet. Eastern Indigo snakes disappeared from Alabama nearly 60 years ago, but scientists and conservationists have been working with the Eastern Indigo Project to bring them back to the state. The Eastern Indigo feeds on venomous snakes like the Copperhead and rattlesnakes, making them a vital link in the local food chain, and a welcome sight for conservationists.ĭuring a news release on the introduction of 25 specimens into Conecuh this June, James Bogan, director of the Orianne Center for Indigo Conservation said, "We love knowing that these latest snakes now have the opportunity to take that title, and we’re proud that we have been able to restore essential balance to this important ecosystem through our work over the years." And then, in March, a second one was found, a good sign of recovery for the species. This was particularly notable as this was a wild-born specimen, the first found in Alabama since 1954. In January 2020, a 7-month-old specimen was discovered in Conecuh National Forest. The finishing blow to Alabama's Eastern Indigo population was a result of their docile nature, which made them a popular target of the wild-caught pet trade.īut there are increasing signs that things are changing for the better for this reptile. However, habitat loss caused a significant decline in their numbers. Forest Service.ĭubbed the "Emperor of the Forest," the Eastern Indigo was once the apex predator of Alabama's once-prevalent longleaf pine forests. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, and the U.S. "This project" is the regular release of (usually captive-bred) specimens into the state in coordination with the U.S. “So it was considered to be gone from the state, completely gone from Alabama.” “Before we initiated this project, we did exhaustive field surveys looking for this snake, where it previously occurred, where we had records of this snake occurring, and it just couldn’t be found,” said Traci Wood, a biologist with the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. And until very recently, this snake was functionally extinct in Alabama.
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