Louisiana Pine Snake
Pituophis melanoleucus ruthveni
Class
Reptilia
Order
Squamata
Family
Colubridae
Louisiana Pine Snake
Range
West central Louisiana and east Texas
Size
3 - 5 ft
Habitat
Sandy soil and second-growth longleaf pine forest. Some have been found near these forests in blackjack oak woodlands.
Young
Clutch: 3 - 5 eggs
Incubation: 60 days
Diet
Eggs, birds, rodents, and rabbits
IUCN Status
Endangered
Timber Rush's Toll
This species was not discovered until the 1929. The Louisiana pine snake's unique habitat was profoundly altered by logging beginning during the great southern timber rush of the 1920s.
Underground Life
These non-venomous snakes spend 60% of their time below ground. Pocket gophers are the snake's most frequent food and the animal whose burrows it lives in.
Reproduction
The species is oviparous, with a gestation period of about 21 days, followed by 60 days of incubation.
Reintroduction in Kisatchie National Forest
Recognized as one of the rarest snakes in North America, the Louisiana pine snake is protected in the wild and carefully managed in zoos. Through the SSP program, young pine snakes are being reintroduced into their native territory in the hopes of re-establishing the wild population.
Areas of the Kisatchie National Forest in central Louisiana have been revived and are now an ideal location for releasing these endangered snakes.
