One of the 26 snakes on WAnimals
Reptiles · Squamata · Colubridae
Red Cornsnake
Pantherophis guttatus
The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary
The red cornsnake is a snake of the family Colubridae. It is called the corn snake because of the pattern drawn on its belly, which recalls that of an ancestral cob of maize; it is a solitary snake and does not live in holes but out on the flat, and fields and grassland are the best places for it to find food, shelter and cover. They are popular in the pet trade, perhaps because they are smaller and more docile than other snake species and because they are not venomous.
Size
90 cm – 1.8 m
Lifespan
23 years
Diet
Carnivore
Feeds mainly on other animals.
Activity
Crepuscular
Active above all at dawn and dusk.
Social structure
Solitary
Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.
Sighting difficulty
Easy
Fun facts
- defensaAlthough it is not venomous, it can buzz the tip of its tail in dry leaves to imitate a rattlesnake and put a predator off.
- Its name comes from the barns: it used to turn up in maize stores chasing mice, and some attribute the name to the pattern on its belly, chequered black and white like a cob of Indian corn.
- It is frequently killed through confusion with the cottonmouth, a venomous pit viper of similar appearance sharing the same range: one of the commonest causes of death for the species.
- It is one of the most widely bred reptiles in the world in captivity, and selection has produced dozens of colour varieties that do not exist in the wild.
Life cycle & biology
- Skeleton type
- Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (reptile)
- Habitat & environment
- Farmland, open woodland, barns and rural areas of the south-eastern United States
- Sexual maturity
- 2 years
- Gestation / incubation
- 65 days of incubation
- Litter / clutch size
- 14 eggs
Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pantherophis_guttatus
Where to watch it
Parks and dive sites where this species has been documented.
Related species
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Red Cornsnake — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
Western Hognose Snake
Heterodon nasicus
Western Rat Snake
Pantherophis obsoletus
Common Kingsnake
Lampropeltis getula
Common Garter Snake
Thamnophis sirtalis
Eastern Milksnake
Lampropeltis triangulum
Racer
Coluber constrictor
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