Friday, September 10th, 2010
Taxonomy Print E-mail

AI-7
Female Eastern Indigo snake, photo credit Dirk Stevenson
The taxon was described by James Edward Holbrook in 1842, and named in honor of J. H. Couper who brought him the first specimen from south of the Altamaha River in Wayne County, Georgia. The species Drymarchon coraishistorically was considered a monotypic species with 8 to 12 subspecies; including D. c. couperi. In the early 1990’s the eastern indigo snake, Drymarchon corais couperi, was elevated to full species level (Drymarchon couperi), and most herpetologists have adopted this suggestion, including the Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, in their official names list. Populations of eastern indigo snakes are isolated from their nearest relative, Drymarchon melanurus erebennus, by approximately 1,000 km.

 

The Latin name for the genus Drymarchon roughly translates to “forest ruler”, from the Greek words drymos, meaning forest, and archon meaning ruler. Eastern indigo snakes have a number of common names: indigo, blue indigo snake, black snake, gopher snake, blue gopher snake, and blue bull snake.

 

 
 
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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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