The corn snake (Elaphe guttata) is one of the most beautiful snakes in North America. This serpent is long and slender. And it is named for the black checkered markings on its belly. They resemble kernels of Indian corn.
Class: reptiles
Order: scaled reptiles
Family: colubrids, typical snakes
Length: 2 to 6 feet
Diet: mainly mice, rats, birds, and bats
Method of Reproduction: egg layer
Home: eastern and central United States and northeastern Mexico
A corn snake also has a marking on its flat head. The marking is shaped like an arrowhead. Down the center of its back is a row of large reddish blotches edged in black. Two rows of matching smaller blotches are along each side. Overall the snake is light orange, brownish yellow, or dark gray.
Corn snakes are most active at night. But they often hunt in the early evening. They are agile climbers. They shinny up tree trunks looking for nestlings and sleeping birds. Corn snakes also climb into the windows and attics of empty barns and houses. There they find other food, such as bats and rodents. These snakes are not venomous. They squeeze their prey to death. They then swallow the suffocated creature whole.
In the wild, corn snakes are found in lightly planted woods, rocky hillsides, and meadows. They don't need a lot of water. They prefer to live near streams and springs. Corn snakes also live in suburban fields and near empty buildings. Adults mate from March through early May. The females lay their eggs from May to July. The hatchlings emerge in late summer. They are 10 to 15 inches long at birth.
Basic Facts:
Class: reptiles
Order: scaled reptiles
Family: colubrids, typical snakes
Length: 2 to 6 feet
Diet: mainly mice, rats, birds, and bats
Method of Reproduction: egg layer
Home: eastern and central United States and northeastern Mexico
A corn snake also has a marking on its flat head. The marking is shaped like an arrowhead. Down the center of its back is a row of large reddish blotches edged in black. Two rows of matching smaller blotches are along each side. Overall the snake is light orange, brownish yellow, or dark gray.
Corn snakes are most active at night. But they often hunt in the early evening. They are agile climbers. They shinny up tree trunks looking for nestlings and sleeping birds. Corn snakes also climb into the windows and attics of empty barns and houses. There they find other food, such as bats and rodents. These snakes are not venomous. They squeeze their prey to death. They then swallow the suffocated creature whole.
In the wild, corn snakes are found in lightly planted woods, rocky hillsides, and meadows. They don't need a lot of water. They prefer to live near streams and springs. Corn snakes also live in suburban fields and near empty buildings. Adults mate from March through early May. The females lay their eggs from May to July. The hatchlings emerge in late summer. They are 10 to 15 inches long at birth.
