Corn Snake

Pantherophis guttata guttata

Range: Eastern United States from New Jersey to Florida
and west to Louisiana and Kentucky

Habitat: Wooded areas, meadows, abandoned structures,

rocky hillsides

Diet: Mostly mice and rats, will also eat birds, bats, and small reptiles

Lifespan: 12 to 25 years

Description: Corn snakes are long and slender, averaging between 24 and 27 inches from head to
tail. They are usually a reddish orange color with darker blotches on the back. The belly is covered with
a black and white checker board type pattern. Young corn snakes usually lack the brilliant coloration
displayed by the adults. As with many snakes that are popular in the pet trade, corn snakes now come
in many different color variations. Corn snakes also have a very narrow shaped head.

Breeding: Female corn snakes lay a clutch of 10 to 30 eggs in late spring/early summer. Eggs are
usually deposited in an area where the temperature and humidity will remain high enough for the
young to successfully hatch. This could include a pile of rotting plant matter, or an old log. Once the
baby corn snakes hatch, they are independent and receive no care or protection from their mother.

Behavior/Adaptations: Corn snakes share similar adaptations with most other snakes. They are
unable to thermal regulate, so they rely upon external sources of heat to maintain an appropriate body
temperature. They also require moisture to successfully shed their skin. If the skin is too dry before a
shed, a corn snake can take a swim to alleviate the problem. Corn snakes are also referred to as ‘rat
snakes’, because of their preferred prey. Like other rat snakes, corn snakes are not venomous, and kill
their prey through constriction.

Predators: Birds of prey, other snakes, raccoons, skunks

Conservation: The corn snake is not a threatened species, but it is listed in the state of Florida as a
species of special concern because of increased habitat loss. Corn snakes are also a popular pet breed
and are often removed from the wild for the pet trade.

Interesting Facts:
• Corn snakes are semi-arboreal and will climb trees to go after eggs and birds.
• The name ‘corn snake’ may have originated because of the belly pattern that resembles the
pattern on Indian corn. Another possible conclusion is that these snakes are often located
around corn cribs because of the higher population of rodents in the area.

Empathy Stories/Messages
What is the snake doing when it sticks out its tongue? Smelling! Do you smell with your
tongue? The snake knows you are a person and not food because it can tell each of you
apart by how you smell. Can you imagine if you were on a walk and you had to find your
way home with your tongue?
Snakes are really important because they help control populations of animals like mice.
This helps reduce the spread of diseases. Raise your hand if you have ever found a tick
 on yourself or on a pet. Ticks need to drink the blood of mice when they are very young.
When a snake eats a mouse, they are eating dozens of ticks. Without snakes eating mice,
there would be so many more ticks. I have never been bitten by a snake, but I have been
bitten by lots of ticks! Whenever I see a snake, I always thank it for eating so many mice
and ticks!

Lake Superior Zoo Conservation Message

Story (ages 6 and up): Snakes are a very important part of the food chain. They help
people by keeping rodent populations low, so people don’t have to control rodents using
chemicals. Some rodents can carry diseases that can spread to humans, which is why
you should never touch a wild animal. If we have predators like snakes to keep rodent
populations down, we don’t have to worry as much about spreading disease.

What you can do: Spread the word! We can help conserve snakes by teaching people
how important they are and to not harm them when we see them, but instead let them
slither by.

Story (ages 6 and up): Some people who get pets can’t take care of them anymore, so
they release them into the wild. This is never a safe thing to do because pets may not
know how to survive in the wild and they could die. It can also be dangerous to release
pets because if they’re not native to the area, they can start to harm the wildlife that does
live there by eating them or destroying their habitat.

How you can help: Always do lot of homework before you get a pet, including how
much it would cost to feed it and take care of it, how much space it needs, and how long
it will live. If you can no longer take care of a pet, find a new owner for it; never release
pets into the wild.

Information taken from the following sources:

http://www.oaklandzoo.org/animals/reptiles/corn-snake*/
http://www.lazoo.org/animals/reptiles/cornsnake/index.html
http://www.seaworld.org/animal-info/animal-
bytes/animalia/eumetazoa/coelomates/deuterostomes/chordata/craniata/reptilia/squamata/eastern-corn-
snake.htm
http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/ReptilesAmphibians/Facts/FactSheets/Cornsnake.cfm