Eastern Indigo snake. PHOTO PROVIDED BY SCCF
The Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation’s Pine Island Sound Eastern Indigo Snake Project started monitoring and researching the remaining populations of the uncommon and guarded snakes in 2012.
The SCCF reported that sadly, they have been discovered to be extirpated — or now not in existence — on Sanibel and Captiva early on, however there was proof of a remaining inhabitants on Pine Island, North Captiva and Cayo Costa.
Pine Island and North Captiva have been discovered to have small however reproducing populations that have been capable of be studied. However, Cayo Costa — which has the most important, non-bisected pure habitat of the 5 fundamental islands of the Pine Island Sound — produced the bottom success.
“Roads and traffic, which are not an issue on Cayo Costa, are the usual cause of Eastern indigo snake decline and loss from an area,” Wildlife & Habitat Management Director Chris Lechowicz stated. “Instead, the main reason for their rarity on Cayo Costa was concerning and was thought to be due to the feral hog population that has plagued the island for decades.”
It is believed that the hogs have been introduced there by locals to hunt many many years in the past. The presence of the feral hogs had drastic implications for the natural world of the principally undeveloped island, which was designated because the Cayo Costa State Park in 1976. The hogs have been lastly eradicated in 2018 by the state park system. By eradicating them, it was thought that might permit many species, together with the Eastern indigo snake, to extend their numbers if sufficient people survived.
The SCCF will return to Cayo Costa this season to renew surveys that lapsed in 2016, because of the lack of samples. There have been undocumented studies of indigo snakes since then, however there was no definitive proof of their continued existence. The SCCF reported that the snakes face many threats all through their vary and are in main decline all through most of their vary.
“Viable island populations are even rarer these days, so it is very important that we document all the information we can and educate people about this gentle giant that is disappearing quickly,” Lechowicz stated.
If you see an Eastern indigo snake on any island in Pine Island Sound, report it to [email protected].
