

In Georgia, the eastern indigo snake prefers excessively drained, deep sandy soils along major streams, as well as xeric sandridge habitats. The eastern indigo snake frequents flatwoods, hammocks, dry glades, stream bottoms, cane fields, riparian thickets, and high ground with well-drained, sandy soils. This fungus infects the dermal layer of snake skin, causing a variety of lesions that commonly manifest on the head and near the vent. Īnother issue the eastern indigo snake is facing would be dealing with infections due to the snake fungal disease ( Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola). NatureServe considers the species to be Vulnerable. The 10-year program is a collaborative effort between the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and private partners. Twenty more snakes were released in 2018, and another 15 (10 female and 5 male) in 2019. The eastern indigo snake was last observed at ABRP in 1982, until 2017 when 12 snakes were released as part of the program. A restoration program is currently underway at Apalachicola Bluffs and Ravines Preserve (ABRP) in northern Florida. The eastern indigo snake was largely eliminated from northern Florida due to habitat loss and fragmentation. A reintroduction program has shown initial signs of success, with an individual sighted in March 2022. In 2012 the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources had listed the species as possibly extirpated within the state. Conservation status īecause of habitat loss, the eastern indigo snake is listed as a federally threatened species in Georgia and Florida. A related species, the Texas indigo snake (Drymarchon melanurus erebennus), is found in southern Texas and Mexico. Their historic range extended into Louisiana. The eastern indigo snake inhabits areas from far southwestern South Carolina through Florida, and west to southern Alabama and southeastern Mississippi. Although the eastern indigo snake is similar in average body mass, extremely large specimens of the bulky, sympatric venomous eastern diamondback rattlesnake can outweigh it. Specimens over 2.6 m (8.5 ft) can weigh up to 5 kg (11 lb). This is thought to be due to intraspecies competition and combat with the males. Unlike many snakes, mature male indigo snakes are slightly larger than females. The longest recorded specimen measured 2.8 m (9.2 ft) in total length (including tail). This smooth-scaled snake is considered to be the longest native snake species in the United States. This snake received its common name from the glossy iridescent dorsal and ventral scales which can be seen as blackish-purple in bright light. The eastern indigo snake has uniform blue-black dorsal scales, with some specimens having a reddish-orange to tan color on the throat, cheeks, and chin. The eastern indigo snake has a number of common names including indigo snake, blue indigo snake, black snake, blue gopher snake, and blue bull snake. Couper brought Holbrook the type specimen from south of the Altamaha River in Wayne County, Georgia. The specific name is a latinization of the surname of American planter James Hamilton Couper (1794-1866).

It is composed of the Greek words drymos (Δρυμός), meaning "forest", and archon (ἄρχων), meaning "lord" or "ruler". The generic name, Drymarchon, roughly translates to "lord of the forest".
#BLUE INDIGO SNAKE BOOTS FULL#
For many years the genus Drymarchon was considered monotypic with one species, Drymarchon corais, with 12 subspecies, until the early 1990s when Drymarchon corais couperi was elevated to full species status according to the Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, in their official names list. The eastern indigo snake was first described by John Edwards Holbrook in 1842. Eastern indigo Taxonomy and etymology Taxonomy Native to the southeastern United States, it is the longest native snake species in the country. The eastern indigo snake ( Drymarchon couperi) is a species of large, non- venomous snake in the family Colubridae.
