![]() Testing new ways to find and track shy snakesĭespite popular opinion, snakes are shy, reclusive and good at keeping out of sight. The territory needs to have good understory cover for their preferred prey of Baird’s pocket gopher, and sandy well-drained soil. One habitat modeling project led by NRI researchers found that individual Louisiana pinesnakes need roughly 82 square acres of mature longleaf pine stand. Forest Service in preparation for Louisiana pine snake reintroduction and translocation. ![]() NRI has been working with partners in the U.S. That loss of habitat is one of the major reasons for the loss of the Louisiana pinesnake.” “In Texas, we’ve lost a lot of that longleaf pine habitat, and a lot of it gets overgrown,” Walkup said. NRI has several projects focused on restoring this once widespread landscape. Today, there are only an estimated 3 million acres. southeast and stretched for over 90 million acres. These forests used to be the dominant type in the U.S. They are one of the most ecodiverse habitats in the world after the rainforests, supporting thousands of different species, many of which are not found anywhere else. This unusual snake depends on the uniquely American ecosystem of the longleaf pine forests. The species is listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act wherever found. They are part of the same family that includes other harmless Texas snakes like corn snakes, rat snakes, gopher or bull snakes, kingsnakes and milk snakes.ĭespite their name, Louisiana pinesnakes’ historic range includes Texas, where a few small populations still exist. The Louisiana pinesnake is a non-venomous burrowing snake that eats small rodents, especially the Baird’s pocket gopher. (NRI photo by Toby Hibbitts, Ph.D.) A unique snake and its unique home “Our job is to go in and figure out things like how widespread they are, their habitat, genetics, how to catch them, and so on.”Ī Louisiana pinesnake. “For a lot of these species of conservation concern, there’s not a lot of information known about them,” Walkup said. Most of NRI’s work with the trio of threatened snakes deals with habitat restoration and assessment, partnering on early-stage reintroduction efforts, and pursuing general knowledge about the species. “They eat smaller things like rodents, so they can help with rodent control and can also be food for bigger things, so they are an important part of the food web. “Snakes tend to be in the middle of a food web,” she continued. “Snakes are vilified, but they are an important part of the ecosystem,” explained Danielle Walkup, NRI research scientist. Roads bisect its territory, and many snakes each year are run over by cars.The Texas A&M University Natural Resources Institute, NRI, a unit of Texas A&M AgriLife, has been doing a lot of work researching three unique snakes the Louisiana pinesnake, the eastern indigo and the massasauga rattlesnake. Each snake requires a large home range to forage, and urban sprawl is shrinking its usable habitat. Its primary threat is from habitat loss due to human development. The Texas indigo snake is listed as a threatened species by the state of Texas. Hatchlings can be up to 26 in (66 cm) long. ![]() Clutches that average 10–12 eggs are laid in the spring, and hatch around 80 days later. erebennus takes place, generally yearly, in the winter. Like many colubrid snakes, it will often shake its tail as a warning – even though it does not possess a rattle. Hence the adage, "If it's an indigo, let it go." It is not a typically aggressive snake, but may bite or release a foul smelling musk from its cloaca if handled or harassed. Because of its aggressive attacks on rattlesnakes, many farmers in southern Texas consider it a useful ally. It will consume almost anything it can overpower and swallow, including mammals, birds, lizards, frogs, turtles, eggs, and even other snakes, including rattlesnakes. erebennus is diurnal, and spend most of its time actively hiding. It dens in burrows left by other animals.ĭ. The Texas indigo snake prefers lightly vegetated areas not far from permanent water sources, but is also found in mesquite savannah, open grassland areas, and coastal sand dunes. Specimens 8 ft (2.4 m) long are not unheard of. It is a large snake, regularly attaining a total length (including tail) beyond 6 ft (1.8 m). The underside is often a salmon pink color. erebennus is found from southern Texas south into Mexico as far as Veracruz.ĭorsally, the Texas indigo snake is predominantly black in color, with a high sheen which gives its smooth scales a remarkable iridescent hue. The subspecies is native to Texas in the United States and adjacent Mexico.ĭ. Drymarchon melanurus erebennus, commonly known as the Texas indigo snake, is a subspecies of large, nonvenomous snake in the family Colubridae.
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