Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock () or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Projects and Research

Updated September 18, 2026

On April 23, 2022, the USFWS joined The Nature Conservancy and other partners in releasing 26 rare eastern indigo snakes into the wilds of the Florida Panhandle. The Orrianne Center for Indigo Conservation -operated by theCentral Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens - bred and raised the snakes for a year. The sleek, black, lengthy, and federally protected serpents then spent a second year at our hatchery, before being released into the wild. In over six years, this collaborative effort has released more than 100 indigos into their old longleaf pine habitats in Florida and Alabama.

Woman readying to place an eastern indigo snake into a burrow. She smiles as the black snake rests its head on her elbow and flicks its tongue.
Woman readying to place an eastern indigo snake into a burrow shows a black, eastern indigo snake resting its head on her elbow. The snake flicks its tongue out, seeking to get a better sense of its surroundings by "tasting" the air.
Explore more:

You are exiting the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service website

You are being directed to . The page will open in a new window.

We do not guarantee that the websites we link to comply with Section 508 (accessibility requirements) of the Rehabilitation Act. Links also do not constitute endorsement, recommendation or favoring by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Click 'I understand' to proceed. Click Cancel to stay on the FWS website.

I understand, please proceed.