SCCF reports on rare Eastern indigo snake sighting
On June 14, the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation collected data and marked and released a young female, Eastern indigo snake on an island in the Pine Island Sound. The SCCF reported that it was the first documented individual since Hurricane Ian, which shows the continued existence of the species in the area.
Eastern indigo snakes are in rapid decline throughout their range, mostly due to habitat loss. The species has a very large home range that results in high mortality on roads from vehicle strikes.
“They require large un-bisected areas that have ample food items and cover for them to escape the Florida heat and extreme cold snaps,” SCCF Wildlife and Habitat Management Director Chris Lechowicz said. “This is the reason they are often associated with gopher tortoise burrows, especially in the northern part of their range.”
Eastern indigo snakes use gopher tortoise burrows to escape freeze events, which allows the mostly subtropical snake to live as far north as south Georgia. In Southwest Florida, they are not as dependent upon burrows, as they have other options to survive through mild winters.
Eastern indigo snakes have become extremely rare on Florida islands, mostly because of development and roads. The SCCF reported that the Pine Island Sound, however, appears to be the only place left in Southwest Florida with viable populations of the imperiled species.
“We have documented breeding and successful hatching on two islands in Pine Island Sound, but those places are experiencing increased threats every year, mostly due to development and traffic,” he said. “This is the same reason we lost them on Sanibel in 1999 and Captiva in 1988, where they are considered extirpated.”
Sightings, with possible photos, of Eastern indigo snakes can be reported to indigo@sccf.org.
In honor of the species, the SCCF named a small preserve in its name where they are still present.
The SCCF formed the Pine Island Sound Eastern Indigo Snake Project in 2012 to monitor populations of the rare and protected snake on islands in Southwest Florida, thanks to a collaboration with the Orianne Society. It remains under the Orianne Society’s federal permit to conduct research on the state and federally threatened species.
For more information, visit https://sccf.org/what-we-do/protect-wildlife/eastern-indigo-snake-project/.