Corn Snake
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 in the Snake Encyclopedia →Family
Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Colubridae, Subfamily: Colubrinae, Genus: Pantherophis, Species: Pantherophis guttatus
Conservation
Listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, with stable populations across most of its native range, though local populations face pressures from habitat loss and the pet trade.
Physical Description
Exhibits a pattern of reddish-orange or brownish blotches outlined in black along a lighter orange, grey, or yellowish background. The belly features a distinctive black-and-white checkerboard pattern. Head is relatively distinct from the neck with dark spear-point or dart markings, and the scales are weakly keeled.
Size & Dimensions
Specimens typically range from 61 to 182 cm (24 to 72 inches) in total length as adults, with hatchlings measuring around 20 to 30 cm.
Habitat
Found in a variety of habitats including overgrown fields, forest openings, trees, and abandoned buildings. Often found hiding under bark, logs, and other debris from sea level up to elevations of several thousand feet.
Diet & Feeding
Primarily feeds on small rodents, birds, and bats. They are constrictors that actively forage and locate prey primarily through scent and thermal cues.
Reproduction
Oviparous species, females typically deposit clutches of 10 to 30 eggs in decaying vegetation, rotting logs, or underground burrows during the early summer months.
Look-alikes
Frequently confused with copperheads (Agkistrodon contortrix) due to coloration and blotched patterns, but corn snakes lack vertical pupils, facial pits, and have a more slender body shape with a distinct head-to-neck transition.
Conservation Status
Listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, with stable populations across most of its native range, though local populations face pressures from habitat loss and the pet trade.
Cultural Significance
Widely appreciated as a beneficial rodent controller in agricultural areas and one of the most popular and docile captive-bred pet snakes in the world.
Notable Features
Known for their gentle demeanor, excellent climbing abilities, and highly variable morphs bred selectively in captivity for color and pattern aberrations.