The Big Blue Snakes of the South

The Big Blue Snakes of the South

On our recent trip to South Carolina Aquarium I, and perhaps several of you, learned about a certain large, blue/black snake for the first time. I am talking, of course, about the Eastern Indigo Snake, the big, blue beauties with the powerful bites. The male and female at the Aquarium were a delight to behold and as smooth as glass beads.

Their scientific name is Drymarchon couperi. The genus name is primarily Greek and translates to "lord of the forest." The species name however is based off the name of the man who brought it to the attention of the herpetologist who first described the snake. Herpetologist John Edwards Holbrook described the species after it was brought to him by James Hamilton Couper, a plantation owner.

The genus Drymarchon is comprised of indigo snakes from various regions throughout the America's. All members of the genus sport the same smooth, dark blue/black scales and imposing size to varying degrees. The Eastern Indigo is considered the longest snake in North America and can easily reach a length of 6-7 ft with the record being a whopping 9+ ft snake. Eastern Indigos tend to have a bit of red/orange coloration on their cheeks and throat, though it varies, in addition to their dark dorsal and ventral scales.

The specimens we saw at the Aquarium were captive bred and docile, but still incredibly strong and had a fairly imposing size. Eastern Indigos are Colubrids, but they are not constrictors as Josh demonstrated with the feeding of the female. They use their powerful jaws to hold and crush its prey to death, if not just eating it alive. They will eat any small animals they can manage and will even eat other snakes, being that often they are bigger than any other snakes they encounter. They are even known to be immune to the venom of North American rattlesnakes.

Eastern Indigos are oviparous and are not known to provide any care for the eggs or the young. Males are known to directly compete over females in a wrestling dance like the one in the video we watched in class. Evidence of this behavior is supported by the fact that males attain a slightly larger size than females, as we discussed in class. Both sexes are known to have multiple mates during breeding seasons.

Eastern Indigos are known to be highly mobile and wander large areas in search of prey in contrast to some other snakes who range a small territory or sit in wait for prey. This behavior leads to large amount of traveling and these snakes can inhabit a large variety of environments. The snakes seem to prefer areas with sandy soil, such as sandhill regions and riverbeds. Areas around pine forests are often a good place to go looking for an Eastern Indigo. They are found mostly in Florida and Georgia, but can be found in areas of Alabama and Mississippi as well. As we discussed at the Aquarium it is disputed as to whether the snakes were native to South Carolina at one point and are now rare to the point of non-existence. It is possible that Eastern Indigos were never native to South Carolina despite there being plenty of viable habitat in our state for the snake.

Overall I was stunned by these beautiful snakes, enough so to decide to write about them. I had never thought about the possibility of a feeding strategy for snakes that didn't involve venom or constriction. The impossible smoothness of the scales and docility stands at a stark contrast to their great size and often violent feeding behavior. The beautiful color of their scales made me think of the deep blue/black color of a high quality sapphire. I can safely say this is one of the most fascinating native species that I have come across and it will furthermore stand as one of my favorite snakes.