Eastern indigo snakes are one of more than 200 species that inhabit tortoise burrows. One potential measure of the health and recovery of this species is the presence of gopher tortoises. Additionally, eastern indigo snakes in institutions accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums are managed under a Species Survival Plan. In South Carolina and Mississippi, they are protected as an endangered species. Eastern indigo snakes are protected at the state level in Alabama and have full protection as a threatened species in Florida and Georgia. In the event of excessive human development, fragmented snake populations may be able to sustain in protected areas of wild land, but it is unlikely that these populations would remain viable.Ĭonservation efforts have been enacted at the federal and state levels. Large areas of natural, unaltered habitat are rapidly disappearing.Īdditional threats include over-collection for the pet trade, habitat fragmentation and mortalities as an indirect consequence of the gassing of gopher tortoise burrows by rattlesnake collectors. Habitat loss and deforestation are this species' primary threats. Fish and Wildlife Service lists the eastern indigo snake as threatened due to a dramatic decline in population.

Eastern brown snake predators