Why 42 Giant Snakes Were Just Set Loose in Florida
On April 25, 2025, scientists released 42 young eastern indigo snakes (Drymarchon couperi) at Florida’s Apalachicola Bluffs and Ravines Preserve (ABRP). This release is part of nine years of coordinated efforts by The Nature Conservancy and other groups. Their goal is to restore natural balance to the region’s ecosystems by reintroducing the eastern indigo snake into the preserve.
Eastern indigo snakes have mostly disappeared from northern Florida due to habitat loss and fragmentation, human persecution, and collecting for the pet trade. Since 2017, however, the Nature Conservancy has been actively working to bring this vital keystone species back. The organization has successfully reintroduced 209 eastern indigo snakes in Florida over the past nine years.
The ABRP is a 6,500-acre preserve with restored sandhill and longleaf pine habitats, making it an ideal home for the eastern indigo snake. These snakes play a vital role in maintaining the health of southern longleaf pine ecosystems as apex predators. They can look pretty intimidating with their large black bodies, but eastern indigo snakes are nonvenomous and are not dangerous to humans. Eastern indigo snakes eat small animals like toads, frogs, birds, lizards, and small mammals. They also hunt both venomous and nonvenomous snakes.
Working to Save Eastern Indigo Snakes
The recently released 20 male and 22 female eastern indigo snakes were bred and hatched at the Orianne Center for Indigo Conservation (OCIC) at the Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens. Now, at two years old, they have been released into the ABRP to live on their own in the wild.
These young snakes still have a lot of growing to do. Eastern indigo snakes are the longest snakes in the United States, with some reaching impressive lengths of over 8.5 feet. Adults have shiny black scales, occasionally accented with cream or reddish coloring on their cheeks, chins, and throats.
Over the past year, scientists located 20 snakes originally released in Florida between 2019 and 2024. One snake was an impressive 6 feet long, a testament to its healthy and robust state. The greatest success came in 2023 when researchers found two baby eastern indigo hatchlings born in the wild — the very first offspring from the released snakes. These young snakes will be able to reproduce when they are around three to five years old. However, they will continue to grow even after they reach adulthood.
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