Kenneth L. Krysko photo.
Eastern Indigo Snake, Drymarchon corais couperi
Indigo snakes are lustrous black, a darker, more shiny black than that of southern racers. Sunlight reflects off the indigo's scales as a bright iridescent indigo blue with a coppery sheen. The indigo snake's chin and throat often are reddish orange or with a smattering of white. Indigos are the largest non-venomous snakes in North America, occasionally reaching lengths of 8 feet (2.4 m). Because of habitat loss and over collecting for pets, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has listed the indigo snake as a 'Threatened Species'. The Fort Matanzas National Monument population is not threatened by habitat loss or collecting, but automobiles kill them when crossing Highway A1A. Indigos eat frogs and other snakes, including coachwhips and eastern diamondback rattlesnakes. Indigos inhabit the dunes meadows and live oak hammocks in Fort Matanzas National Monument, where they seek shelter in gopher tortoise burrows.
