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A glossy black eastern indigo snake coiled on sandy ground.
Photo: Dirk Stevenson, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Eastern Indigo Snake

Drymarchon couperi

The largest native nonvenomous snake in the United States, a glossy black snake that shines blue in sunlight and even eats rattlesnakes.

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About the Eastern Indigo Snake

Eastern indigo snakes are the largest native nonvenomous snakes in the U.S., reaching up to 8 feet. They live in longleaf pine forests, sandhills, wetlands and coastal scrub, and healthy populations remain mainly in southern Georgia and Florida. They often hide in gopher tortoise burrows. Instead of squeezing their prey, they overpower it with strong jaws and swallow it whole.[1]

Quick facts

Scientific name
Drymarchon couperi[1]
Size
Up to 8 feet long. Males are usually larger.[1]
Lifespan
Can approach 20 years.[1]
Diet
Carnivore. Almost any animal it can overpower, including venomous snakes.[1]
Habitat
Longleaf pine forests, sandhills, pine flatwoods, wetlands and coastal scrub.[1]
Where it lives
The southeastern Coastal Plain; now mainly southern Georgia and Florida.[1]
Babies
4 to 12 eggs, which take about three months to hatch.[1]
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN Red List, assessed 2007).[2]

Fun facts

  • In sunlight, an indigo snake's black scales shine blue, purple and red.[1]
  • It is immune to pit viper venom and eats rattlesnakes.[1]
  • It often shelters in gopher tortoise burrows.[1]

Vocabulary

nonvenomous
Not able to inject poison.
iridescent
Showing shimmering colors that change with the angle of light.
immune
Protected from being harmed by something, like a poison.
fragmented
Broken into small, separated pieces.
longleaf pine
A tall pine tree that once covered much of the southeastern U.S.

See it in person

Sources

  1. [1] Zoo Atlanta. “Eastern Indigo Snake.” https://zooatlanta.org/animal/eastern-indigo-snake/ (accessed 2026-10-02)
  2. [2] IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. “Drymarchon couperi.” https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/63773/12714602 (accessed 2026-10-02)

Facts last checked 2026-10-02.

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