| Indigo snakes | |
|---|---|
| Drymarchon couperi | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Colubridae |
| Subfamily: | Colubrinae |
| Genus: | Drymarchon Fitzinger, 1843 |
| Species and subspecies | |
|
D. caudomaculatus |
|
Indigo snakes (Drymarchon) are a genus of large non-venomous colubrid snakes found in Southeastern United States, Central America, and South America. Three to four species are currently recognized.[1]
Contents |
Indigo snakes are large, robust snakes which can reach a length of over 3 m. They have smooth scales with several color variations, including a glossy blue-black color.
Indigo snakes are diurnal and actively forage for prey. They feed on a broad variety of small animals such as rodents, birds, lizards, frogs, toads, and other snakes, including rattlesnakes. They are not aggressive snakes and will only bite when threatened. Typical threat display includes hissing and shaking of its tail as a warning.
The genus Drymarchon was formerly considered to be a monotypic taxon formed by subspecies of D. Corais. Currently the genus includes three distinct species recognized by ITIS:[1]
A fourth species, found in Venezuela, has been proposed by Wüster, Yrausquin, and Mijares-Urrutia:[4][5]