SURVEY AND MONITORING OF THE EASTERN INDIGO SNAKE IN GEORGIA

Abstract

We studied the federally threatened eastern indigo snake (Drymarchon couperi) from 1992 to 2002 in southeastern Georgia, including a 4-year markrecapture study conducted on the Fort Stewart Military Reservation. Indigo snakes in this region are sexually dimorphic in size, with males attaining greater maximum lengths. Subadult and small adult snakes grow more rapidly than larger adults. Georgia specimens prey on a variety of vertebrates, including juvenile gopher tortoises (Gopherus polyphemus). The return of adult indigo snakes to the same sandhills in multiple years has conservation and management significance. Long-term population monitoring of indigo snakes is feasible and may yield valuable information.