corn snake

noun

plural corn snakes

: a slender, reddish-orange to yellowish-brown, nonvenomous snake (Pantherophis guttatus synonym P. guttata synonym Elaphe guttata) of the eastern U.S. that has orange, red, or brown, squarish blotches with black margins on the back and a whitish belly checkered mainly with black and white, is typically 24 to 60 inches (61 to 153 centimeters) long but may reach a length of 72 inches (183 centimeters), and is sometimes kept as a pet

Note: The corn snake is often mistaken for a copperhead snake which has hourglass-shaped rather than squarish blotches on the back.

called also red rat snake

Examples of corn snake in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

According to the Miami Herald, the scaly intruder is a 2-foot-long corn snake, a nonvenomous reptile native to Florida. —Kelli Bender, Peoplemag, 20 Feb. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1676, in the meaning defined above