.. I am not any expert on couperi but have encountered about a dozen Indigos in Florida from No-Name Key to Homestead and up the peninsula to Georgia over the last 30 years and myself can draw no conclusion about what is or is not habitat for eastern Indigo snakes.

Of the Texas subspecies I can claim some more intimate knowledge, and although they are found in sandy the habitat you describe they are by no means limited to such areas. They are common in hard clay soil areas, calcareous soils, and most everywhere in between where space and prey are allowed them. In addition, they range much further northwest than many people recognise and inhabit seasonally dry scrub-desert and rocky canyons probably as far up as Langtry.. practically anywhere water can be found on a regular basis. Except for many areas ruined by overuse for stock-management the presence of water tanks and ponds provided for livestock may reinforce and stabilise populations of Indigos in fringe habitat areas.

If there are any keys to locating erebennus in the areas I frequent other than a riparian habitat they likely are, 1) the presence of Opuntia stands and the associated Neotoma rat stick-nests, 2) seasonally abundant amphibian populations..

Though I have observed many big Indigo snakes trailing out of these rat-nests, especially in arid regions, and I also know they prey on the neotoma or other rodents it would be only speculation to say they are primarily there hunting the rats.. they may also be looking for atrox or masticophis or other snakes or even very small G. berlandieri which can be seen in the early months using these nests as refuge.

I hope this info is of some help.
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Gus
A. Rentfro
RioBravoReptiles.com
www.riobravoreptiles.com

"Quality is not an accident. Perfectly healthy animals are a minimum requirement.. everything else is just salesmanship" gus

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