Life History of Carpenter St. Croix Valley Nature Center’s Corn Snake

Carpenter Nature Center’s Corn Snake was donated by the Stiles Family in January of 2020. The Stiles Family affectionately called him “Red”. CNC’s Corn Snake was purchased from a reputable breeder and was cared for by the Stiles Family for over ten years. Although this snake is already ten years old, corn snakes can easily live over 20 years in captivity. This is much longer than the lifespan of a wild corn snake.

CNC’s Corn Snake is considered a Candy Cane Morph. The term ‘morph’ is sort for morphology which is the study of the form and structure of plants and animals. Different morphs are usually distinguished by a visible trait, such as the color pattern in corn snakes. Corn snakes are popular in the pet trade because of their docile temperaments; because of their popularity with snake breeders, there are now over 800 documented corn snake morphs.

Carpenter Nature Center’s Corn Snake is a wonderful ambassador, teaching thousands of visitors every year about our natural environment and the diversity of wildlife found outside our region. Our snake will live a comfortable life with humans, as he is provided with all the food he needs and safety from predators.

Fun fact, it is thought that corn snakes may have gotten their name because Indigenous communities often found them hanging out in hutches used to store corn grain. Corn Snakes love to eat mice making these hutches a great place to find dinner.  Today, wild Corn Snakes are still well tolerated by humans because they play an important role in controlling rodent populations.  This helps prevent the spread of disease in areas inhabited by humans.