Many endemic species at ABRP, particularly songbirds, have likely suffered from the imbalance. As an apex predator, the species plays a vital role in the natural balance, a consumer of otherwise unchecked species, especially snakes. The eastern indigo was one of the earliest entries on the list of protected wildlife under the Federal Endangered Species Act.īefore reintroduction, eastern indigos had been noticeably absent at TNC’s Apalachicola Bluffs and Ravines Preserve (ABRP) since the last ones were spotted in 1982. By 1978, however, its numbers had so drastically declined, victim to human antipathy, cars and the steady degradation of its habitat.

A daytime hunter, it was once a common sight throughout Florida, Georgia, southern Alabama and southeastern Mississippi. It’s non-venomous and, at least as far as its diet goes, fond of its fellow snakes, particularly the venomous kind.

The apex predator is sleek as a stair banister, with conspicuous black-blue scales. The reintroduction project has been an ongoing collaboration between Auburn University, the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the US Forest Service, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and other partners, Godwin said.The longest snake native to the United States, the eastern indigo, grows 9 feet long. Both snakes were actually found by accident, according to Godwin, who explained “it’s difficult to just go out and do a search for them, because they’re small, and they can hide very easily.” During the winter, the project team monitors the burrows of gopher tortoises, where the adult Eastern indigo snakes breed in the colder months, in hopes of identifying the animals. The first wild-born Eastern indigo snake was discovered in Alabama in 2020, according to the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. And the released snakes are tagged with PIT tags, which have small microchips allowing researchers to identify each animal by its unique code. The hatchling was clearly smaller than those released from captivity, which were usually at least two feet long the snakes can grow up to eight feet long in adulthood. The snake discovered was clearly wild-born due to two factors, according to Godwin: its small size and its lack of a PIT (or passive integrated transponder) tag. “It is an excellent indicator that the snakes that we have released, which were born into captivity, have been able to adapt to the wild, are functioning as wild snakes, and are reproducing,” said Godwin. The discovery of wild-born Eastern indigo snakes means the released snakes survived and had offspring, providing a glimpse of hope for the species’ success in Alabama. The goal is to eventually introduce a total of 300 snakes to create a healthy and viable population in Alabama. In 2010, the first snakes from the captive population were released into Conecuh National Forest. Starting with wild-captured individuals from Georgia, where the snakes are also found, they began to breed a captive population. So in 2006, a team of Alabama conservationists launched a project to reintroduce the Eastern indigo snake to the state. A decline in the snake’s population, therefore, has a “domino effect” on other species in the ecosystem. Jim Godwin, an animal biologist with the Alabama Natural Heritage Program administered by the Auburn University Museum of Natural History, told CNN that Eastern indigo snakes were historically the “apex predator” in the longleaf pine forests where they live. The snakes, however, are a crucial element of the ecosystem. But they went extinct in the state in the 1950s, largely due to habitat loss, according to the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. The reptile, which is the largest snake native to the US, used to be found throughout Alabama. “Reintroducing a species to its native range is a daunting task, and we celebrate each step of its success!” “The snake found yesterday indicates the project is resulting in some thriving and reproducing indigos, just what we wanted!” the Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division said Thursday on Facebook. The discovery of a wild-born Eastern indigo snake marks the success of an intensive program to reintroduce the reptiles to the state.

For only the second time in more than 60 years, the elusive Eastern indigo snake has slithered into Alabama.

Blue indigo snake habitat