Is the eastern indigo snake venomous?

The eastern indigo snake is harmless. Harmless to people and legally protected under the Endangered Species Act. Report sightings to your state wildlife agency rather than interfering.

How do you identify a eastern indigo snake?

Very large, very heavy, and uniformly iridescent blue-black. Red-orange or cream chin and throat.

Where do eastern indigo snakes live?

They are found in 4 US states, in habitats including woods and grassland.

Eastern Indigo Snake

Harmless

Drymarchon couperi · also called indigo, blue gopher snake

The eastern indigo is the longest native snake in the United States, reaching over eight feet. It is federally threatened, closely tied to gopher tortoise burrows in longleaf pine country, and protected — handling or harming one is a federal offence. It eats other snakes, including rattlesnakes.

Venom: Harmless to people and legally protected under the Endangered Species Act. Report sightings to your state wildlife agency rather than interfering.
Adult length: 60–84 inches (152–213 cm)
Markings: Uniform glossy blue-black over the whole body, with an iridescent sheen in sunlight. The chin, throat and sides of the head are often red-orange or cream.
Habitat: woods, grassland
Family: colubrid
Range: 4 US states

How to identify a eastern indigo snake

Very large, very heavy, and uniformly iridescent blue-black.
Red-orange or cream chin and throat.
Smooth scales with a strong sheen, unlike the matte finish of a racer.
Associated with gopher tortoise burrows and sandhill habitat.

What it does when it sees you

Calm and rarely defensive. Active by day, often seen basking near burrow entrances.

What the eastern indigo snake is confused with

One test settles each of these.

North American racer →

Racers are much slimmer, matte black, and far faster. Indigos are heavy, glossy and unhurried.

Eastern ratsnake →

Ratsnakes have a white chin and a squared body cross-section, and lack the blue iridescence.

Where it lives

Florida Georgia Alabama Mississippi

Before anything else

Back away and leave it alone. A snake that can see you leaving has no reason to bite. Most bites in the United States happen to people who picked up, cornered, or tried to kill a snake.
Never handle a snake to identify it. Every identification on this site can be made from a photo or from several feet away.
If someone is bitten, call emergency services now. Keep the limb still and below the heart, remove rings and watches, and go to hospital. Do not cut, suck, apply ice, or use a tourniquet — all of these make outcomes worse.
Do not try to catch the snake for identification. A photo from a distance is enough, and hospitals treat symptoms rather than species.

In the US, the Poison Help line is 1-800-222-1222. This site is a reference, not medical advice.

Not sure it was a eastern indigo snake? Identify it step by step →