Tortoise at KSC Press Site

KSC-05pd2344

Oct 7, 2005

KSC-05pd-1595

Jul 12, 2005

Wildlife at KSC

Jan 21, 2021

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A blue-black indigo snake is seen crossing a roadway inside the Center. Indigo snakes are active during the day and spend a great deal of time foraging for food and mates. They often hide in gopher tortoise burrows (the tortoises don’t seem to mind) in sandy scrub habitats. The longest snakes in the United States, some individuals reach almost nine feet in length. In 1978, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed indigo snakes as a threatened species in all portions of its range; federal protection has helped to stop collection of these snakes from the wild. The numbers of indigo snakes are still declining throughout most of the Southeast, especially Georgia, Florida, Alabama, and Mississippi. Habitat loss and fragmentation is the main problem facing these snakes today. KSC shares a boundary with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, which encompasses 92,000 acres that are a habitat for more than 331 species of birds, 31 mammals, 117 fishes, and 65 amphibians and reptiles.

Jun 10, 2003