Description :

 

Adult corn snakes have a body length of 61–182 centimetres (2.00–5.97 ft).[10] In the wild, they usually live around 6–8 years, but in captivity can live to an age of 23 years or more.[11] They can be distinguished from Copperhead snakes by their brighter colors, slender build and lack of heat-sensing pits.[12]

 

Taxonomy :

 

Until 2002, the corn snake was considered to have two subspecies: the nominate subspecies (Pantherophis guttatus guttatus) described here and the Great Plains rat snake (Pantherophis guttatus emoryi). The Great Plains rat snake has since been split off as its own species (Pantherophis emoryi), but is still occasionally treated as a subspecies of the corn snake by hobbyists.

 

It has been suggested that Pantherophis guttatus can be split into three species: Pantherophis guttatus,Pantherophis emoryi (corresponding with the subspecies Pantherophis guttatus emoryi) andPantherophis slowinskii (occurring in western Louisiana and adjacent Texas).[13]

 

Pantherophis guttatus was previously placed in the genus Elaphe, but Elaphe was found to beparaphyletic by Utiger et al., leading to placement of this species in the genus Pantherophis.[14] The placement of Pantherophis guttatus and several related species in Pantherophis rather than Elaphe has been confirmed by further phylogenetic studies.[15][16] Many reference materials still use the synonymElaphe guttata.[17] Molecular data has shown that corn snakes are actually more closely related to king snakes (genus Lampropeltis) than they are to the Old World rat snakes with which they were formerly classified. Corn snakes have even been bred in captivity with California king snakes to produce fertile hybrids known as "Jungle corn snakes".[18]

 

Natural habitat :

 

Wild corn snakes prefer habitats such as overgrown fields, forest openings, trees, palmetto flatwoods and abandoned or seldom-used buildings and farms, from sea level to as high as 6,000 feet. Typically, these snakes remain on the ground until the age of 4 months old but can ascend trees, cliffs and other elevated surfaces.[19] They can be found in the southeastern United States ranging from New Jersey to the Florida Keys and as far west as Texas.

 

In colder regions, snakes hibernate during winter. However, in the more temperate climate along the coast they shelter in rock crevices and logs during cold weather, and come out on warm days to soak up the heat of the sun. During cold weather, snakes are less active and therefore hunt less.

 

Reproduction :

 

Corn snakes are relatively easy to breed. Although not necessary, they are usually put through a cooling (also known as brumation) period that takes 60–90 days. This is to get them ready for breeding and to tell them that its time to reproduce. Corns brumate at around 10 to 16 °C (50 to 61 °F) in a place where they can not be disturbed and with little sunlight.

 

Corn snakes usually breed shortly after the winter cooling. The male courts the female primarily with tactile and chemical cues, then everts one of his hemipenes, inserts it into the female, and ejaculates hissperm. If the female is ovulating, the eggs will be fertilized, and she will begin sequestering nutrients into the eggs, then secreting a shell.

 

Egg-laying occurs slightly more than a month after mating, with 12–24 eggs deposited into a warm, moist, hidden location. Once laid the adult snake abandons the eggs and does not return to them. The eggs are oblong with a leathery, flexible shell. Approximately 10 weeks after laying, the young snakes use a specialized scale called an egg tooth to slice slits in the egg shell, from which they emerge at about 5 inches in length.