Home About the Eastern Indigo
Friday, September 10th, 2010
About Eastern Indigo
Species Description Print E-mail

Eastern indigo snakes are one of the largest snakes in North America; reaching maximum total length of 2.62 m. Most records of wild specimens 2.4 m or longer have been from southern Florida. The species is fairly stout-bodied and sexually dimorphic in size, with males attaining greater lengths than females. Large males are typically 2.13-2.36 m and weigh 3.2-4.5 kg; while large females seldom exceed 2.0 m and weigh 1.8-2.7 kg.

 

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Reddish-orange chin patch on eastern indigo snake, photo credit Steve Winters
Eastern indigo snakes are a uniform bluish or gunmetal black both dorsally and ventrally. A wash of orange-red is often present on the chin, sides of the head, and throat. There is some variation in this as in northern Florida; where some populations have black lip scales and a white patch in the center of the throat rather than the orange-red. The orange-red pigment is more prominent in male eastern indigos and may extend onto the belly of some south Florida snakes.

 

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Iridescent scales on Eastern Indigo, photo credit Dirk Stevenson

 

The common name for eastern indigos snakes relates to the large, smooth scales of this species which appear iridescent purple in sunlight. Adult males have partial keels on the scales of the middorsal 3-5 scale rows. Hatchling eastern indigos are sometimes more lighter-colored than adults with evidence of a faint pattern of cream speckling forming faint lateral bands.

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The Kaplan family and Project Orianne are fully dedicated to the conservation and restoration of eastern indigo snake populations. We will continue to tirelessly dedicate our time, energy, expertise, and resources to saving this “Emperor of the Forest”. As we move forward into 2010 and beyond, we envision our programs growing and creating a different landscape in the Southeastern Coastal Plain. A landscape where the forests are protected, prescribed fires in the growing season are common, indigo snakes hunt for rattlesnakes and rodents, and the people appreciate these resources that allow them to maintain their cultural connection to the land and their rural way of life. I have made this one of my personal missions. My staff and I are and will continue to dedicate everything we have into achieving our vision.

 

Christopher L. Jenkins, PhD,
Executive Director, Project Orianne


 

 

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 As human population growth and land development continue to increase, the need for conservation of our endangered reptiles and amphibians becomes critical. While some species that were once game animals or species that are generally considered more charismatic species receive overwhelming attention in the conservation arena, others, such as most reptiles and amphibians, are often overlooked. By focusing our efforts on the conservation of these species, we are changing this.

 

No matter what level of funding you wish to dedicate, Project Orianne guarantees that 100% of every dollar donated to our cause will go towards field conservation of threatened and endangered species. Together, we can continue our efforts of conserving eastern indigo snakes and rare reptile and amphibian populations on a global scale.

 

We sincerely thank you for your donation; we appreciate and respect your dedication to conservation.

 

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