“If it’s a Texas Indigo snake, let it go,” is a popular adage among Texas ranchers and farmers.

They’re very popular in southern/central Texas where they primarily live. Texas indigo snakes are known for actively hunting and eating rattlesnakes. Diurnal by nature, they spend their nights in the burrows that other animals abandon.

These snakes mate in the winter then lay eggs in an abandoned burrow in the spring. They lay 3-12 eggs, and hatchlings appear in the summer and measure 14-18 inches, but can reach 24 inches. They’re one of the longest species in North America and regularly reach 6-8 feet long; there have been reports of snakes approaching 10 feet, but they haven’t been verified.

They range from central Texas extending into northern Mexico, and until recently Texas indigo snakes were on the protected list in Texas.

Amazing Facts About Texas Indigo Snakes

• They appear to be at least partly resistant to rattlesnake venom.
• Terrific to have around if you have venomous snakes nearby.
• They’ll eat anything they can overpower; birds, lizards, turtles, snakes, and rodents are all on their varied menu..
• They subdue their prey using brute force, but are surprisingly docile.

Where To find Texas Indigo Snakes

These snakes inhabit areas with permanent water sources and grasslands, brush, or forests in Texas south from San Antonio, and into northern Mexico, as far as Veracruz.

They spend their downtime in abandoned burrows and underneath logs and other items large enough to hide them, but Texas indigo snakes are active hunters and spend most of their time hunting during the day.

Texas Indigo Snake Scientific Name

Texas indigo snakes (Drymarchon melanurus erebennus) are part of the Colubridae family along with kingsnakes and boa constrictors. However, they are not constrictors. Their scientific name, Drymarchon, roughly translates as “Lord of the Forest,” melanurus is Greek and means black.

All of the indigo snake species have smooth, very shiny scales that reflect an iridescent blue-purple in the light, giving them their common name.

Types of Indigo Snakes

Until recently, all indigo snakes were classified as subspecies of Drymarchon corais, even some of the government sites still reflect this. However, genetic research revealed that there are five separate species; given more time and research we may discover more.

Three of them occur in North America:

• D. melanurus erebennus mainly lives in south Texas and northern Mexico. It is primarily black but has some brown speckling.
• D. corais couperi Eastern indigo snakes live in the southeastern united states.
• D. kolpobasileus This newly recognized species is endemic to the gulf coast of Florida and Mississippi. It has a shorter and shallower head shape than the Eastern indigo snake.

Two indigo snake species inhabit central and South America:

• D. caudomaculatus lives in Venezuela and Colombia and has more brown speckling than its northern cousins
• D. margaritae inhabits the Western Margarita Islands and Venezuela.

Texas Indigo Snake Population & Conservation Status

For such a popular and well-loved snake, there’s a surprising lack of formal research into their population numbers, and stability and lifespan in the wild. We don’t have an accurate population estimate, and we can guess that in the wild they might live about 9 years. It’s against the law to collect these snakes in the wild without a permit, but they are no longer on the protected list in Texas, and they are not on the IUCN Redlist.

However, Texas indigo snakes still face challenges due to human encroachment. Each individual needs a large territory in which to thrive but is fairly flexible as long as there is a permanent water source nearby. They tend to favor somewhat dry grasslands, scrub brush; however, urban sprawl is reducing the amount of territory available and many indigo snakes end up on the road, victims of a vehicle encounter.

How To Identify Texas Indigo Snakes: Appearance and Description

Texas indigo snakes are large-bodied, very long nonvenomous snakes with a base color of iridescent black scales and brown speckles. Their belly is often salmon-colored, becoming more cream-colored approaching the throat, and more blue-black towards the tail. They have black vertical bars that begin under their eyes and extend down to their labial (lip) scales. In fact, seeing dark vertical bars along the lip scales is one sign that a North American snake is not venomous, although this doesn’t hold true on other continents.

Hatchlings appear in the summer and can reach 2 feet long; there have been sightings of Texas indigo snakes nearly 10 feet long, but they’re not verified. Juveniles are often solid black but develop adult colors as they mature between the ages of 2-3.

Texas Indigo Snakes: Pictures and Videos

How Dangerous Are Texas Indigo Snakes?

These snakes are generally docile and not aggressive; they’re kept as pets by many people for this reason and for their beauty. However, those who handle or harass a Texas indigo snake may discover its powerful bite. It may also release a foul-smelling musk from its cloaca and even rattle its tail.

Texas Indigo Snakes are well known as rattlesnake control and loved by Texas farmers and ranchers. They are not aggressive, and as a result, are easy to observe from a respectful distance. There are multiple videos available that demonstrate their prowess as rattlesnake hunters; in a few of them, you can see the rattlesnake biting (and probably envenomating) the Texas indigo snake but still losing the battle.

Texas Indigo Snakes Behaviour & Humans

Texas indigo snakes are supremely helpful and feed on many of the animals that humans find a nuisance or, in the case of venomous snakes, dangerous. However, they need a large territory in which to hunt and they are frequently run over by vehicles when crossing the road.

A Texas indigo snake will eat nearly anything it can overpower using its size and strength; in addition to venomous snakes, its menu includes non-venomous snakes such as coachwhips, small mammals, lizards, turtles, and birds. They’re really not all that picky. According to an article in the Naples News, “One specimen alone had three mice, two Mexican burrowing toads, and two juvenile snapping turtles in its stomach contents.”

These snakes were respected in southern Texas as rodent and rattlesnake control. So much so that many families kept them as pets around the yard to keep rodents and venomous snakes away. Even now, they’re popular pets because of their beauty and their easy-going attitude.

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