Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was out of town herping in CA, and well...you know what they say about opinions, so here goes -

I don't see indigos as snakes of humid regions. I see them as snakes of the drier spots within humid areas. They require access to moisture and seem to prefer fairly open woodlands through much of their range.

Although easterns occur in a variety of (remaining) FL habitats, they seem to be most common in the driest areas of Florida (which are still pretty humid). Yeah, they may occur in the Everglades, but if you want the greatest chance of seeing one, you focus on the sandy dry upland areas of Florida.

Texas indigos are more widespread than otherwise believed, as long as they have access to moisture. While they are common in the sandy dry mesquite woodlands of the eastern half of South Texas, I have also found them in rocky desert-like areas of western South Texas that don't look anything like FL.

As for their range, I was with Jim Dixon in Del Rio back in the mid 80s and he saw an indigo crossing a dirt road and there are sporadic reports of people finding them at least on the east side of the Del Rio area. I suspect you could find one at Amistad Resevoir with some determined searching.

Last year, I received a very credible photo of one taken in Lost Maples State Park, which is NW of San Antonio in the Texas Hill Country (picture Pantherophis bairdi and Texas Alligator Lizard habitat).

Further south in Mexico, Indigos are most common in dry Thorn Forest in the coastal foothills on both coasts of Mexico. I have found DOR melanurus in swampy marshland in northern Tabasco, but generally I see indigos in dry areas.

So again, although Indigos are snakes of tropical and subtropical climates, they occur in the drier regions within those climatic areas. They require access to water, but otherwise they are pretty tough (as long as people don't destroy the habitat).

I don't know about Central/South American cribos, but the general impression I get is about the same.
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Chris Harrison

TX indigo juvies are the only sub that almost always take pinkies right out of the egg with no games.

I think the young of the subs from the more tropical environments head to the wetlands to feed on fish, frogs, baby snakes, etc. Couperi included here. The adults prefer the sand hill, xeric-type habitat in the cooler months for sure, but in the warmer months, they are just as likley to be out in a swampy / boggy environment in search of, well, anything they can catch.

The fact that the baby texans do not show the preference for fish / frogs like the others do always seemed to suggest that they are from drier environments. I BET they'd jump all over a lizard...but there is no need. They love rodents.