12 federally threatened eastern indigo snakes were recently released in northern Florida.
The snakes were released at the Nature Conservancy’s Apalachicola Bluffs and Ravines Preserve in Liberty County as part of an effort to return the native, nonvenomous apex predator to the region.
The release of the snakes marks the fifth year of the reintroduction effort; about 80 of the snakes have been released in total.
The snakes have been implanted with radio transmitters so they can be tracked and monitored.
The program is expected to release more snakes for five more years.
The eastern indigo snake has been listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act since 1978.
The indigo can grow to be between 8 and 9 feet long, and is the longest native snake in the U.S.
The indigo was largely eliminated from northern Florida due to habitat loss and fragmentation - the species was last seen in the Liberty County preserve in 1982.
The eastern indigo serves a critical function to balance the wildlife community – it consumes a variety of small animals including both venomous and nonvenomous snakes.
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