Harmless · Native to the United States · Kept as a pet

Corn snake

Pantherophis guttatus (Linnaeus, 1766)

Also called red cornsnake or red rat snake
Data updated October 2026

Corn snake coiled on a mossy log, showing black-edged red blotches on a gray-tan body
Fig. 1 — A wild adult on a mossy log. The blotches are red to brownish and edged in black.
Close view of a bright orange corn snake’s head with white, black-barred lips
Fig. 2 — A brightly colored snake. The lips are white with short black bars.

At a glance

A slender, harmless rat snake of the Southeast, marked with black-edged red or orange blotches and a black-and-white checkerboard belly. It eats mainly rodents and is one of the most widely kept pet snakes.

01

Identification

Corn snakes are orange to reddish-brown or gray-tan, crossed by 27 to 40 red, orange or brownish blotches with black edges. A spear-shaped mark runs from the neck forward to a point between the eyes. The belly is a bold black-and-white checkerboard. The scales are weakly keeled. Young snakes are browner than adults.

  1. 01Black-edged blotches. Saddles of red, orange or brown, each outlined in black.
  2. 02Spear-point head mark. A pointed mark on top of the head and neck, aimed forward between the eyes.
  3. 03Checkerboard belly. Squares of black and white along the underside.

Commonly confused with

Corn snake vs copperhead: how to tell them apart →

02

Size

01 ft2 ft3 ft4 ft Typical adult · about 42 in (107 cm)

Most adults measure 30 to 48 inches (76–122 cm), and a few pass 5 feet. Hatchlings are about 8 to 12 inches (20–30 cm) long.

03

Range & habitat

Corn snake coiled in short grass with its head raised
Fig. 3 — Open, grassy ground near cover is typical corn snake country.

Corn snakes range from southern New Jersey south through the Carolinas to the Florida Keys, and west to eastern Louisiana. In Florida they occur in every mainland county and throughout the Keys. Introduced populations are established on several Caribbean islands, including the Bahamas, Grand Cayman and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

They live in open pine woodland such as longleaf sandhills, old fields, hardwood hammocks and farm edges, and often turn up in barns and sheds. Much of their time is spent out of sight in rodent burrows or under bark and logs.

State guides: Florida

04

Diet & predators

Corn snakes kill prey by constriction. Young snakes eat mostly cold-blooded prey such as lizards and tree frogs. Adults switch to warm-blooded prey: mice, rats, birds and bats. They also eat bird eggs.

Feeds on

  • Mice and rats
  • Birds and their eggs
  • Bats
  • Lizards and tree frogs (young snakes)

05

Behavior & seasons

Corn snakes are most active at dawn and dusk and become more nocturnal in hot weather. They climb well but stay closer to the ground than other rat snakes, and they are secretive, spending the day hidden under bark, logs or debris. They are not aggressive and avoid people, though they may bite if handled roughly.

06

Reproduction

Corn snakes breed from March to May. In early summer females lay 10 to 30 eggs, most often 10 to 20, in rotting logs, burrows or decaying plants. The eggs hatch after about 60 to 65 days, in late summer. Young snakes mature in 18 to 36 months.

07

Conservation

The corn snake is listed as Least Concern and its population is considered stable. It is protected in Georgia and South Carolina. Habitat loss, road mortality and collection for the pet trade are the main threats.

08

In captivity

Corn snakes are among the most commonly kept pet snakes, and captive breeding has produced many color forms. Keeping one involves a secure, escape-proof enclosure with hiding places, a warm side and a cooler side, and a diet of whole rodents sized to the snake. Many keepers also provide low-level UVB lighting.

With good care, corn snakes can live for two decades; the Smithsonian’s National Zoo reports lifespans of up to 23 years in human care. Pet care guides →

Keep reading

Sources

Data updated October 2026 · How we build these pages