Fox Weather reported out of Tallahassee that Florida officials unleashed a group of eastern indigo snakes into the wild in an effort to recover local populations of the species.
These non-venomous snakes are the longest snakes native to North America, measuring up to eight feet in length. Forty-two snakes were released — 22 females and 20 males — into the northern Florida preserve known as The Nature Conservancy’s (TNC) Apalachicola Bluffs and Ravines Preserve.
📣 Good nature news! 42 eastern indigo snakes were released at The Nature Conservancy in Florida’s Apalachicola Bluffs…
Posted by The Nature Conservancy on Friday, May 9, 2025
According to TNC, the Eastern Indigo Snake is an apex predator and is vital to keeping the ecosystem balanced by eating small rodents and other snakes.
By the early 1980s, the population of the species had dropped significantly and had almost disappeared from northern Florida due to habitat loss.
Habitat loss is largely caused by human activities that alter or destroy natural environments. This can be caused by deforestation, urban development, or the conversion of land for agricultural use. Pollution can also degrade habitats, as can the warming of the planet caused by pollution.
In order to protect biodiversity, it is important to address these issues and make efforts to restore balance through actions such as reintroducing native species, as Florida is doing.
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Ordinary people taking action toward protecting and restoring local ecosystems plays a huge role in protecting the planet. You can find a local group that focuses on an issue you care about, whether that is supporting local species, helping to clean waste from the community, or gardening with native plants and rewilding yards and public spaces in order to support biodiversity.Â
The release of the eastern indigo snakes is part of a campaign to help the snakes rebound and provide balance to the ecosystem that has lasted over a decade, bringing the total population to over 200. Efforts included breeding the snakes at the Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens’ Orianne Center for Indigo Conservation (OCIC), according to The Nature Conservancy.
Michelle Hoffman, OCIC biologist, offered hope, according to Fox Weather: “The Eastern Indigo Snake reintroduction program continues to make strides toward success.”
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