For our last field trip, at the College of Charleston, we went to the SC Aquarium. I was so excited because I love the aquarium, and came to realize that I had never really payed much attention to the herps there. When you think about the aquarium, you think about fish, penguins & other aquatic species, however, I got to see some truly amazing non-aquatic species! Here is a picture of me holding a corn snake, Elaphe guttata. I think we make a great pair...:) You can identify this Colubrid quite readily by looking at the checker "Indian corn" patter on their belly (usually black & white) & also by noticing the orange or brownish-yellow colouration, with large, black-edged red blotches down the middle of the back. They can have great variation when it comes to colouration of the dorsal colouration & spotting. This is a result of age or location of the individual snake. Corn snakes are called the "red rat snake" because they like to feed on rats like most Colubridae. They kill their prey by biting them & then constricting them. Corn snakes are slender snakes and range from about 24-72 inches in length. These Colubrids are harmless snakes and are a common pet snake. I truly enjoyed taking a picture with this beauty!!
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