Corn Snake
Pantherophis guttatus • Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Colubridae, Subfamily: Colubrinae, Genus: Pantherophis, Species: P. guttatus
Southeastern and central regions of the United States, primarily inhabiting areas from New Jersey south to Florida and west to Louisiana and parts of Kentucky.
Look up Corn Snake in the Snake Encyclopedia →Family
Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Colubridae, Subfamily: Colubrinae, Genus: Pantherophis, Species: P. guttatus
Conservation
IUCN Red List status is Least Concern, facing minor threats primarily from habitat loss and vehicular mortality.
Physical Description
Features a patterned back with reddish-orange or brown blotches outlined in black over a lighter background, paired with a distinct spear-point marking on the head and keeled scales.
Size & Dimensions
Specimen is approximately 60 cm long, with typical adults reaching 61 to 182 cm in total length.
Habitat
Found in wooded groves, forest openings, agricultural fields, and around abandoned buildings, favoring terrestrial microhabitats with abundant cover.
Diet & Feeding
Preys primarily on small rodents, birds, and bats, utilizing constricting strategies as an active foraging hunter.
Reproduction
Oviparous species that typically lays clutches of 10 to 30 eggs in decaying vegetation or underground burrows during early summer.
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List status is Least Concern, facing minor threats primarily from habitat loss and vehicular mortality.
Notable Features
Possesses a specialized scale structure and remarkable color variation that allows effective camouflage within grassy and leaf-littered forest floors.