Corn Snake
Pantherophis guttatus • Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Colubridae, Subfamily: Colubrinae, Genus: Pantherophis, Species: P. guttatus
Native to the southeastern and central regions of the United States, ranging 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
Listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List due to its wide distribution, tolerance for altered habitats, and stable populations, though facing local pressures from habitat fragmentation and road mortality.
Physical Description
Displays a light tan, orange, or reddish ground color with distinct darker blotches or saddles along the back bordered with dark edges, a slender body profile, smooth to weakly keeled dorsal scales, and a rounded head distinct from the neck.
Size & Dimensions
The pictured specimen appears to be a sub-adult or small adult measuring approximately 60-90 cm, while typical adult length ranges from 60 to 180 cm with an average around 120 cm.
Habitat
Found in forested regions, overgrown fields, palmetto flatwoods, and agricultural lands, typically utilizing ground-level microhabitats such as rotting logs, bark, and abandoned buildings from sea level up to regional elevations.
Diet & Feeding
Predominantly consumes rodents, birds, and bat species, utilizing constriction to subdue prey through active foraging or opportunistic ambush in nocturnal and crepuscular periods.
Reproduction
Oviparous species that typically breeds in the spring, with females laying clutches of 10 to 30 eggs in hidden, damp microhabitats such as under logs or leaf litter, hatching after approximately 60 to 65 days.
Look-alikes
Frequently confused with copperheads (Agkistrodon contortrix) due to hourglass-like or saddle markings, but corn snakes are distinguished by round pupils, slender bodies, lack of facial heat-sensing pits, and different head patterns.
Conservation Status
Listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List due to its wide distribution, tolerance for altered habitats, and stable populations, though facing local pressures from habitat fragmentation and road mortality.
Cultural Significance
Widely appreciated and frequently kept in captivity as a pet snake due to docility and numerous morph variations, while playing a valuable ecological role in controlling rodent populations in agricultural and suburban areas.
Notable Features
Known for exceptional climbing abilities despite primarily terrestrial habits, highly variable coloration and patterning in captive-bred morphs, and a generally docile defensive temperament involving tail vibration when startled.