Our Resident Corn Snakes

Premlak

Beldar

Photo Coming soon!

History: Both Corn Snakes were a "teacher's pet" in a school classroom.  Premlak and Beldar are both retired and now live at the Sharon Audubon Center.  They both help to teach thousands of children and adults about the importance of snakes in the world and why we should protect them and their habitats. They also help educate people about making wise choices when buying a pet.

Corn Snake

(Elaphe guttata)

Description:  Often called the “Red Rat Snake,” the corn snake is usually an orangish-red snake, but often has shades of brown as well.  From above, the snake has several “blotches” outlined in black.  The black lines of the first blotch meet on the top of the head, forming a spear shape.   The belly is usually whitish with a black heavily checkered pattern, often looking like Indian corn.  Corn snakes grow between 2 ½ - 5 feet long.

Range:  Corn snakes from the east reside along the coast ranging from Louisiana up to Maryland, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.  There is a Western subspecies which lives in Texas and New Mexico.

Habitat: These snakes live in a variety of habitats, including rocky areas, deciduous and coniferous forests and pine barrens.  They are shy snakes and spend much of their time underground in rodent burrows or other tunnels.

Diet:  Corn snakes are constrictors and kill their prey by suffocation.  They feed mainly on small rodents and birds.

Breeding:  Female corn snakes lay about 10-20 soft-shelled eggs in the dirt in the spring.