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Eastern Indigo Snake
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| Description: The indigo snake is a
large glossy blue-black non-poisonous snake reaching
lengths of up to 9 feet. It is a solid color with the exception of an
occasional orange, pink white or reddish area under the chin, which may
extend to the throat and cheeks. It is sometimes confused with the similar
black racer or the black pine snake, but is much stockier than the slender
racer, which has a white chin patch and the black pine snake, which has no
chin patch and keeled rather than smooth scales. Indigos are active during
the day during much of the year and prey on small mammals, lizards. birds,
frogs, toads, and other snakes. They are immune to the venom of all North
American poisonous snakes and readily eat them. Indigos use a variety of
habitats during the year, but are almost always associated with gopher
tortoises and the sandy ridges they inhabit. Indigos often share the
gopher’s den during hot or cold weather. Indigos are relatively docile and
slow moving, probably contributing to their decline.
Distribution by County: There are no recent records of occurrence for the indigo snake in Alabama. However, biologists believe that a few remnant populations of this snake may still exist within its historical range in the state. Counties in which indigo snakes were historically known to occur include Baldwin, Bullock, Conecuh, Covington, Escambia, Geneva, Mobile, and Washington. |
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Forestry
Considerations: Forestry operations are not likely to directly
affect indigo snakes, unless woods workers are tempted to kill such a large,
slow-moving snake. Unless habitat modification is severe, such as woodland
being converted to another use, most forestry operations should not harm
indigo snakes. Loss of gopher tortoise habitat and, subsequently, gopher
tortoises would likely negatively impact indigo snakes. Sighting of indigo
snakes would be of great interest to scientists studying the species.
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