Connor Devlin, Delaware Township School
Hunterdon County
Honorable Mention, Hunterdon County, Corn Snake (c) Connor Devlin
Corn Snake
Hello! I am a corn snake (Pantherophis guttatus.) I am three years old and I live
in the Pine Barrens, which are sandy, hilly pine forests in southern New Jersey. Snakes
like me can live 5-8 years in the wild and 15-20 years in captivity, so I’m pretty young.
People are building factories around and over my natural habitat and they are forcing me
to move south. I am endangered only in New Jersey. I live in a sand mound. There I am
well hidden from predators. I am in the middle of the food chain. Read on to learn more
about me.
You shouldn’t have any problem finding me, because I am bright orange, white
and black. I can grow to 4-5 feet long. People mistake me for a copperhead, and I get
killed for that. That is one reason why I am endangered. I live as far south as the Florida
Keys and as far west as Texas. My species usually lives in sandy pine forests and often
near water. I burrow/make underground homes in anything from stumps to sand mounds
to railroad ties! Not many snakes live in railroad ties. I reproduce just like any other
reptile. I lay eggs, then I abandon the eggs forever and slither away like nothing
happened at all. My babies are designed to survive in the wild from birth. I eat rodents
and small mammals like squirrels and chipmunks. Do you want to know how I got my
name? Rodents lived in farmer’s corn silos and I killed them as food. I was and am a
farmer’s hero!
I need as much protection as I can get. Birds of prey eat me. I am shot and
collected by illegal collectors. I am mistakenly killed as a copperhead. My burrowing
grounds are even dug up by factory builders. It stinks, really. I am constantly hiding from
the construction workers. They hate me. I have them too. They scare me and sometimes
try to shoot me. These are other reasons why I am endangered in New Jersey.
People like you can do a number of things to save my species. You can stop
building factories over my homes. For one thing it is destroying Mother Nature and for
another it is making me endangered in my native land. You cans top illegally taking me.
It hurts! You can stop hunters from getting to me and leave ground cover so the birds of
prey can’t see me. And finally, LEAVE ME ALONE! It is okay to care about my species,
but don’t just take me and keep me!
In conclusion, I am a colorful, energetic, sneaky (and helpful!) snake that just
wants to be left in peace. No fibs at all.
Written By: Connor Devlin
Delaware Township School, Sergeantsville, NJ
Teacher: Ms. Ballard