Elaphe guttata
red corn snake

Corn snakes may be found in the eastern United States from southern New Jersey south through Florida, west into Louisiana and parts of Kentucky. However, corn snakes are most abundant in Florida and the southeastern U.S.

Corn snakes may be found in wooded groves, rocky hillsides, meadowlands, woodlots, barns, and abandoned buildings.

Corn snakes are slender with a length of 61-182 cm. They are usually orange or brownish-yellow, with large, black-edged red blotches down the middle of the back. On the belly there are alternating rows of black and white marks, resembling a checkerboard pattern. Considerable variation occurs in the coloration and patterns of individual snakes, depending on the age of the snake and the region of the country in which it is found. Hatchlings lack much of the bright coloration found on adults.

Corn snakes are primarily nocturnal, but are often active in early evening. They readily climb trees and enter abandoned buildings in search of prey. However, they are very secretive and spend most of their time underground prowling through rodent burrows. They also often hide under loose bark and beneath logs, rocks, and other debris during the day. Not much is known about the reproductive behaviors of corn snakes.

Corn snakes do not usually feed every day. They generally feed every few days or so. Young hatchlings tend to feed on lizards and tree frogs, while adult feed on larger prey, such as mice, rats, birds, and bats. They are constrictors, meaning they will use their coils to suffocate their food before eating it. First a corn snake will bite the prey in order to obtain a firm grip, then it quickly wraps one or more coils of its body around the victim. The snake squeezes tightly until it suffocates the prey. Then it swallows the food whole, usually head first. However, corn snakes have also been observed swallowing small prey alive.

Corn snakes help to control rodent populations that may otherwise spread disease. They are also widely popular as pets. They are the most frequently bred snake species for pet purposes.

Corn snakes are often mistaken for copperheads and sometimes killed because of this. Also, because of their docile temperament, they are often kept as pets. Sometimes they are captured in the wild to be sold as pets. However, there are many snake breeders, so wild capturing does not pose a serious threat to this species. Corn snakes are not an endangered species. However, they are listed by the state of Florida as a Species of Special Concern because they face habitat loss and destruction in the lower Florida Keys.

Corn snakes are also known as Red Rat Snakes. Corn snakes are a nonvenomous species.

The life span of the snakes is up to 23 years in captivity, but is generally much less in the wild.

The name corn snake is believed to have originated from the similarity of the markings on the belly to the checkered pattern of kernels of Indian corn.