Corn Snake (Juvenile)
Pantherophis guttatus • Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Colubridae, Subfamily: Colubrinae, Genus: Pantherophis, Species: Pantherophis guttatus
Native to the southeastern and central regions of the United States, ranging from New Jersey south to Florida and west into parts of Louisiana and Tennessee.
Look up Corn Snake (Juvenile) in the Snake Encyclopedia →Family
Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Colubridae, Subfamily: Colubrinae, Genus: Pantherophis, Species: Pantherophis guttatus
Conservation
IUCN Red List status is Least Concern, due to a wide distribution, tolerance of human-altered habitats, and stable population trends.
Physical Description
This juvenile specimen exhibits a grayish-white ground color with dark, contrasting saddle-shaped blotches along the back and smaller spots on the flanks. The head displays a distinct spear-point or dart-like marking between the eyes and back of the head. Scales are weakly keeled and the body is slender.
Size & Dimensions
The pictured specimen is a juvenile, approximately 10 to 14 inches long. Adults typically reach lengths of 61 to 182 cm (24 to 72 inches).
Habitat
Found in overgrown fields, forest openings, trees, and abandoned or agricultural buildings. They frequent areas with adequate cover, such as fallen logs, bark, and rocks, from sea level up to mountainous elevations.
Diet & Feeding
Juveniles primarily feed on small lizards, frogs, and newborn rodents. Adults consume rodents, bats, birds, and bird eggs. They are active foragers and constrictors that subdue prey by wrapping around it and squeezing.
Reproduction
Oviparous species. Females typically lay clutches of 12 to 30 eggs in decomposing vegetation, rotting logs, or underground burrows during the early summer, which hatch after about 60 to 65 days.
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List status is Least Concern, due to a wide distribution, tolerance of human-altered habitats, and stable population trends.
Cultural Significance
Often kept as a popular pet due to vibrant morph variations. In the wild, they play an important ecological role by controlling rodent populations around farms and rural properties.
Notable Features
Juveniles often undergo significant color and pattern changes as they mature, transitioning from pale grey with dark saddles to much warmer orange, red, or brownish hues as adults.