Description: The Corn Snake gets its name from the chequered pattern on its belly that looks like kernels of Indian corn or maize. It is bright orange in colour.

Diet: The Corn Snake is a carnivore, eating rats and mice. It is non-venomous and kills its prey by constriction. Often found around farms, it helps control rodent populations that might otherwise damage food crops and spread disease.

In the wild: The Corn Snake hibernates during winter and is crepuscular (active at dawn and dusk) in warmer climates. It climbs trees or bushes to hunt for prey, and also spends time underground hunting rodents. It has poor eyesight and relies mainly on its sense of smell.

The Corn Snake breeds from March to May. Females deposit a clutch of eggs, often into rotting stumps piles of decaying vegetation in late May to July. Hatchlings are 25–38 cm long and take 18 to 36 months to mature.

Threats: The Corn Snake falls prey to larger snakes, carnivorous mammals and birds of prey. Some habitat has been lost to human development, but this has not widely impacted the species.