Use of a Novel Refuge Type by Eastern Indigo Snakes (Drymarchon couperi) in Georgia

Frankie H. Snow¹, Adam B. Safer², Dirk J. Stevenson^3,*, and Houston C. Chandler^4,5

¹South Georgia State College, 100 West College Park Drive, Douglas, GA 31533. ²Department of Biology, Valdosta State University, 1500 North Patterson Street, Valdosta, GA 31698. ³Altamaha Environmental Consulting, Hinesville, GA 31313. ⁴The Orianne Society, 11 Old Fruitstand Lane, Tiger, GA 30576. ⁵Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Tech, 310 West Campus Drive, Blacksburg, VA 24061. *Corresponding author.

Southeastern Naturalist, Volume 20, Issue 2 (2021): 308–314

Abstract
We conducted a 14-year mark–recapture study of a population of Drymarchon couperi (Eastern Indigo Snake) inhabiting an unusual geologic region (Altamaha Grit) embedded within the Vidalia Uplands Physiographic Province of southeastern Georgia. Here, we documented regular cool-season use of refuges (ground holes, crevices) associated with aboveground sandstone outcrops. Several discrete rock outcrop sites were used throughout our study period, with individual snakes often returning to the same rock dens in successive years. We describe these habitats and discuss the significance of this discovery.

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