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 The slithering attacker, an 18-inch corn snake that looks like a dangerous copperhead but has no venom, was removed by NYPD cops and taken to an animal shelter in Queens. —

Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 19 June 2024 Agnus the female corn snake went missing a year before an RSPCA inspector found her on a garage roof Agnus the snake is a survivor looking for an uneventful place to relax. —

Kelli Bender, Peoplemag, 5 Apr. 2024 The female corn snake — who went missing from her home in Spennymoor, England, over a year ago and made headlines for the astonishing circumstances surrounding her reunion with her owner — is looking for a new home. —

Kelli Bender, Peoplemag, 5 Apr. 2024 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

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'corn snake.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.