Corn Snake Care By: Dr. Steve Divers Read By: Pet Lovers The
Elaphe group of snakes consists of a large and diverse number of
popular colubrids. The most widespread is the common corn snake
or red rat snake. There are two or three subspecies, but the
nominate Elaphe g. guttata is a grey to tan colored animal with
a series of large red saddles with black edges along its back.
The underneath is checkered black and white, although there is a
great deal of regional variation, and degrees of orange to red
may also be seen. The first marking on the back extends as a
point on top of the head and an orange to red line extends from
above the snout to below the angle of the jaw, through the eye.
Coloration varies dramatically with geographical location and
there has also been a great deal of selective breeding, which
has produced diverse forms including amelanistic (no black
pigment), anerythristic (no red pigment) and snow corns to name
but a few. Corn snakes are medium sized snakes found naturally
throughout much of