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Florida Pine Snake Common Name: Florida Pine Snake Scientific Name: Pituophis melanoleucus mugitus Information Sheet - Florida Pine Snake
Introduction:Florida Pine Snake is a beautiful species of snake commonly found in Florida. It is the largest of the eastern Pituophis snakes. It is perceived as a highly changing snake with a ground color ranging from whitish coloration to gray. The dorsum has patched patterns and the front with scanty blotches that defines towards the tail. In some, the patches have black and tan, brick red and almost invisible in others. Some specimens have patches with pale patterns at the center.General:The snake feeds on a variety of smaller rodents such as rats, mice, and moles. It loves pocket gophers; it will eat eggs plus the young ones of ground birds. It cohabitants with tortoises and often shares burrows with these animals. Some of this species often get accustomed to a single type of prey and often refuse to take any other kind. An adult measures about 122 cm to 168 cm with a record of 229 cm as the longest. Mature snakes have distinct blotches around the neck.Habitat:This species inhabits sandy and open areas including oak woodland, abandoned fields and regions with long leafy pine forests. It spends most of its time underground usually in burrows dug up by pocket gophers.Geographic Range:It occurs throughout Florida, middle and southern Georgia, South Carolina, southeastern Alabama and some regions of the east of Mobile Bay.Behavior:This snake is big and therefore slow moving. It has threat displays that include a loud hiss, inflation of its body especially when handled. The species is nervous as compared to other colubridsReproduction:Florida Pine Snake breed and lay an average of 7 – 8 eggs, which depends on the size of the female. The eggs are usually huge and heavy weighing about 100 grams.Captivity:Acclimatized to its surroundings in captivity the snake breeds readily. Females in captivity require access to sufficient heat to prevent the eggs from binding. |
