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10 Amazing Facts about Corn Snakes

Most people would freeze in fear whenever they hear about or see a snake not knowing that there are some friendly and fascinating serpents such as the North American corn snakes. The corn snakes are reptiles that have been assigned the scientific name Pantherophis guttatus. Apart from possessing an extraordinary variety of skin colors, corn snakes have a variety of fascinating characteristics that other reptiles lack. For example, corn snakes are non-venomous serpents that are beautiful and friendly to human beings. They have attracted the attention of snake enthusiasts around the world because of their outstanding features including tree climbing skills and their ability to stay for days without eating. Corn snakes have unique features that help them survive in different habitats including the dangerous woods where they need to hunt and eat in the wild. However, if kept in zoos and at home as pets, these reptiles can also adapt fast to the new environment because of their friendly nature and survival skills. The corn snakes are not ordinary creatures as they can grow too many meters in length and often shade their skin to help them leave longer. Taking time to learn facts about corn snakes would enlighten us on the way of life for these amazing living creatures. They are objects of beauty, intrigue, and admiration in the world of reptiles because they have unique features.

The following are some of the ten amazing facts about corn snakes:

1. Corn Snakes Got their names from their Resemblance to Maize Corn

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The beautiful corn snakes have two origins for their name; one is their resemblance with the maize corn and the second is because of their habits to settle in the corn fields. The first settlers in the United States of America discovered the corn snakes and found their appearance similar to the Indian corn. The snakes had checkered skins with black stripes separating them into small boxes that look like corn. These reptiles also lived near cornfields because that is where they find their food easily. The rodents are corn snakes’ favorite meal.

Check out: Top 10 Deadliest snakes in the world

2. There are over Eight Hundred Different Morphs of Corn Snakes around the World 

The corn snakes have become popular around the world leading to them being bred with other snakes to give birth to morphs. There are almost a thousand different morphs of corn snakes in the world today that are a result of breeding with other corn snakes and other types of snakes. A few examples of the morphs include the zig-zag corn snake, the lavender, the reverse okeetee, and the blizzard among others. Every morph has different features including some scaleless corn snakes. As breeding continues, corn snakes are bound to mutate and increase in population and variety with distinctive features.

3. Corn Snakes Can Interbreed With other Types of Snakes

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One fascinating characteristic of corn snakes is that they can interbreed with other species of snakes and the babies would grow to give birth to other corn snakes. This is a unique feature in mammals because when interbreeding occurs, the resultant animal is normally infertile. The corn snakes are different types of reptiles.

4. The Non-Poisonous Corn Snakes Are Excellent Pets

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Despite having massive body sizes, corn snakes are harmless to human beings because they are nonpoisonous. These beautiful reptiles are reluctant to bite humans because of their dormant nature and temperament which makes it easier to breed and care for them in captive. Corn snakes are excellent pets in the United States of America, especially in Florida. They are kept by farmers for beauty and pest control. Keeping corn snakes in the corn fields is an excellent way to keep away rodents.

5. Corn Snakes Have Beautiful and Popping Eyes but do not have Eyelids

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Corn snakes do not have eyelids which would be risky for the safety of their eyes. However, they have specialized skin layer that helps protect their eyes and keep them moisturized. The corn snakes shed off the eye skin layer just like they shed their skin. Once the skin layer becomes dry and dusty, the corn snakes fail to see forcing them to shed off the skin.

6. Corn Snakes are Fragile and Susceptible to Cancer 

Cancer is a dreaded ailment in human beings because of the way it has affected people for years. However, this deadly disease is not only a human killer but can affect animals and snakes. Corn snakes are among the snakes that can suffer from ovarian cancer. Studies showed that a corn snake suffered from chondrosarcoma which is a bone cancer. The disease spread in the snake causing its tissues to tear and eventually death.

Also see: 15 Interesting Facts about Snakes

7. Corn Snakes Have Different Types of Colors

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Ordinarily, corn snakes come in different colors ranging from dark yellow to brown, grey, or orange with different patterns. They have black bellies that have white checked lines. However, the animals come in different colors depending on the place where they leave. Their colors are solely for camouflaging so that they can hunt easily and also hide from predators.

8. Corn Snakes are Carnivores with Sharp Sense of Smell and Sharp Teeth

Corn snakes are carnivores and their diet is simple compared to other types of snakes. Corn snakes feed solely on rodents, especially mice. Therefore if you are feeding the corn snakes, all you need is frozen mice that must not have parasites. Corn snakes also hunt rodents easily because of their excellent sense of smell. Despite having poor eyesight, the corn snakes rely on their sharp sense of smell to detect rodents and also evade predators.

9. The Lifespan of a Corn Snake is Between Thirteen and Twenty-Five Years

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While other species of snakes have a life span of less than ten years, corn snakes can live to more than twenty-five years. The oldest corn snakes lived for more than three decades and still hold the world record. Corn snakes live longer because they are in captive and have a constant supply of food and care. They are also protected from potential predators which is a huge boost for them to stay longer than the snakes in the woods.

10. Female Corn Snakes Lay between Ten to Thirty Eggs 

While corn snakes are praised for their friendly character and beautiful appearance, female corn snakes are terrible parents. They lay more than twenty eggs and abandon them to hatch on their own. The newly hatched corn snakes barely survive because they are on their own and predators are on their necks. The young hatchings, measuring at least thirty centimeters stand little chance in the eyes of huge predators. However, they can survive by pretending to be rattlesnakes which are feared by most animals because of their venomous nature.

We can all agree that corn snakes are a unique species of snakes that have baffled humanity for several years making them one of the friendly reptiles in the world. Reptile enthusiasts find it hard to welcome this beauty in their homes for authenticity and pest control purposes. Corn snakes can feed on rodents and that’s why farmers keep them in the corn fields to kill and feed on the rodents to control the pests in the farm. The corn snakes have a variety of skills that enable them to survive both in the wild and captivity. Their constrictor technique is unique for grabbing and killing their prey before swallowing them whole. Although they cannot see clearly, corn snakes have a sharp sense of smell to detect prey from afar. The same sense of smell also helps them run away from predators. A corn snake can eat once in a week and survive, making them easy to care for in homes.