Habits and Habitats...

I've always believed you could learn a lot about a snake from the habitat it came from. Even though different species from the same habitat have different behaviors, the habitat helps determine how a species will function in the wild and what its needs are. At any rate, looking at many various habitats helps us to understand the range of variation that can occur, not only in color/pattern, but also in behaviors and adaptability.

This is an Emory's ratsnake, Pantherophis emoryi intermontanus, that I found in western Colorado last spring....

They mainly occur as an isolated population in the basin of the Colorado River or surrounding counties. This one was from Delta County. Although the climate if fairly dry there, the habitat was fairly moist. Emory's ratsnakes need some moisture/humidity and don't occur in desert areas.

I know this wasn't a corn snake, but I don't do field work in the Southeastern states anymore and don't have any current data on corn snakes. We can compare corn snakes to other snakes though, especially Emory's ratsnakes, and Slowinski's corns, which are very closely related.

BTW, corn snakes occur from the Florida Keys north to New Jersey and west to Kentucky and Louisiana. Their habitat is generally humid with a wide range of temperatures yearly.

A DOR Emory's ratsnake from Refugio County on the Gulf Coast of TX....


Habitat is fairly dry, but air is humid. Where habitat is moister, a little further north, with a fair amount of woodland, the Emory's gives way to the Slowinski's corn.

A Brazos Island ratsnake (emoryi) from the coast near the Rio Grande and Mexico....


These are special snakes, reaching a large size, and adapted to a dry environment. Common ratsnakes can't survive in this coastal area, but the Emory's can with its fossorial habits.

Part of the island...

This place is very sandy, but there are moist areas where ponding or seeps occur. This form of Emory's is fond of soaking in their water jugs. One of my favorite captives.

A slowinski's corn, Pantherophis guttatus slowinskii, from southeastern Oklahoma. I collected a juve male in the Ouachita Mountains in 2006 and have raised him up. I also purchased a female from a guy in TX back then....


I hope to mate this pair this coming spring. I believe this form is a type of corn snake, the reason I used the subspecies designation. I have some habitat photos also, which I'll put up in my followup post.

Terry

A couple shots from the Ouachita Mountains in southeastern OK...


Should give an idea of what the habitat is like there. Lots of trees, fairly humid, moist soil, and pretty warm climate, at least in the off-winter months. Corn snakes seem to be associated with open woodland, whereas Emory's rats seem to like treeless plains/prairies.

I was in Kentucky in 2006. Same type of habitat....

I didn't see any corns, but the guys I herped with had seen a few.

Much can be surmised from fellow inhabitants that the corns are associated with too. Here's a gorgeous black rat snake found in the lowlands near the Ouachita Mtns in 2007....

...and a box turtle...

...and a pigmy rattlesnake, genus Sistrurus...

These were mainly found road crusing at night in the mtns. They seem to be herps associated mainly with the Southeastern herpetofauna.

Thornscrub habitat in Dimmit County, TX....

A thornscrub ratsnake, Pantherophis emoryi meahllmorum....

Emory's ratsnakes are found mostly in plains, prairie, or thornscrub habitat...drier than the habitat corns are found in. Too dry for trees, most of the time.

The Gulf Coast of TX is very interesting. Coastal habitat in Victoria County...

This is within the range of the Texas corn, or Slowinski's corn, Pantherophis guttatus slowinskii.
Some Southeastern herps associated with the Slowinski's corn...a water mocassin...

...and a green anole....

Found these herps on my last visit in 2008.

In summary, I think our nominate form of corn snake is found in the Southeastern, Atlantic Gulf Coast biome, often associated with open pine woods and a moist, prairie-type habitat. The climate can be quite warm and humid, but they also range into cooler, humid areas. The humidity is based on warm season readings. In wintertime they mostly brumate, in the cooler areas, and seek out a somewhat moist/humid hibernaculum to spend their brumation in, in order to avoid the extremes of cold and lack of humidity on the surface. In some really warm areas, like South Florida, they might be active year 'round.

Done for now...haha!

Great post with lots of interesting info. Thanks so much for sharing.

You're welcome, Steph. I enjoy working on these little projects...

WOW, great thread and you have some wicked photography skills. What fun, thanks for posting.

That was a good read. Could have used some more pic's of the best state evvvver Kentucky. But that's just my opinion seeing as how im from Kentucky................

This is an amazing post! I think it needs a bump and a big thanks for the info!

Great post for sure. Thank you