Corn Snake

Scientific name: Pantherophis guttatus

diet: Carnivore

range:North America

habitat:Dry Forest, Urban Areas, Woodlands

Viewing Hints:

You may see this species in a reptile habitat along the Wieland Wildlife Home Boardwalk or inside Georgia eXtremes. You also might meet one at one of our evening events, at a pop-up animal encounter during your Zoo visit, or if you register for one of our education programs.

Photos and Videos

General Information:

Corn snakes are primarily diurnal, meaning they are most active during daylight hours. These constrictors kill their prey by wrapping around it and suffocating it. In the wild, they usually eat every few days, but they can go weeks between meals. They are good climbers, but as they are very secretive, they spend a large amount of their time either underground prowling through rodent burrows or hiding under ground debris. When threatened, a corn snake may strike or rattle its tail. Rattling its tail in dry leaves mimics the sound and appearance of a rattlesnake, thereby warding off would-be predators. There are two theories on how the corn snake was named. The most likely theory suggests that the name originated from the patterning on their stomachs, which resembles Flint corn. Another theory suggests they got their name from commonly being found in corn houses feeding on rats.

Physical Features and Characteristics:

Corn snakes are slender and generally reach 3 to 6 feet in length. They are known for their orange or red coloration with large, black-edged blotches down the middle of their backs. They have alternating rows of black and white marks on their belly, resembling a checkerboard or “Flint corn.”

Lifestyle and Reproduction:

Corn snakes often live into their 20s in human care and about half that long in the wild. They breed in the spring and females lay eggs in the summertime. A female will lay around 30 eggs inside rotting logs and vegetation or in abandoned burrows. Eggs are left to incubate for two to three months. Babies hatch between July and September and are between 10 and 15 inches long when they emerge from the egg. Hatchlings reach maturity by 3 years of age. Due to predation by birds, raccoons, and skunks, only a few of the young from any clutch will reach adulthood.

Range:

Corn snakes live in the eastern United States. Their range extends from New Jersey to Florida and west into Louisiana and part of Kentucky. They are most abundant in Florida and neighboring southeastern states.

Habitat:

Corn snakes live in a wide variety of habitats from wooded groves, rocky hillsides and meadowlands to barns, abandoned buildings and urban areas.

Diet:

Their wild diet includes small rodents, lizards, birds, frogs, eggs or bats. Hatchlings generally feed on small lizards and tree frogs. Here at Zoo Atlanta, they are fed humanely euthanized mice or rats.

Conservation:

Currently, the primary threat to corn snakes is fear-based killing, as their coloration causes people to mistake them for the venomous copperhead. They are listed as a species of special concern in Florida due to habitat loss and destruction in the lower Florida Keys. Collection for the pet trade was once a problem, but breeding programs in human care have helped resolve this issue. Although corn snakes are one of the most frequently bred species for the pet trade, owning corn snakes as pets is illegal in the state of Georgia, as is the ownership of any native reptile species.

Zoo Atlanta Conservation Efforts:

Zoo Atlanta works with local conservation partners to protect native Georgia habitats.