A Bucket of Snakes

Photo from Bing
 

                I don’t really have a “bucket list” but I’ve been thinking a lot lately of the things I’d like to do now that I am regaining some mobility.  Some of the things are quite private and have been told to only one certain gentleman; others are quite public and very few of you are unaware of them, such as visiting the Galapagos Islands with my daughter when I’m 50 or earning the Versatile Companion  Dog title with at least one of my dogs.  Then, there are the ones that are just plain weird.  The one that is most on my mind today is one I’d long forgotten: I want to see a snake hibernaculum.

                A hibernaculum is, in the most general sense, a place where an animal takes refuge in an unfavorable season.  This could be anything between the typical winter den where a bear hibernates and a pocket of dried mud where a toad waits out the dry season.

                Strictly speaking, only mammals hibernate.  A few birds go into torpor; insects and other arthropods go through diapause; and reptiles brumate.  But, for the purpose of this musing, I’m going to use the term hibernate.

                In spring and summer, snakes tend to stay close to water, where prey is abundant but, in autumn, they begin to move into woodlands and rocky outcrops to find a suitable hibernaculum.  Most snakes return to the same spot year after year and may gather in great numbers – both of individuals and of species.  Snakes may travel many miles to reach their hibernacula and new members find the location by following the trail of others. 

                So, why would I want to see a hibernaculum?  Since I am enthralled when I witness the powerful and graceful movements of just one snake, it only follows that I’d be fascinated to see a great writhing ball of multiple species.

                Snakes are awesome.  They smell with their tongues, hear with their jaws, and sleep with their eyes open (of course they do, they have no eyelids).  Though I cannot find a reliable reference, I was taught that snakes eat more rodents than all other predators combined.  Whether that’s true or not, they are undoubtedly play an important role in population control.  With the exception of the very few venomous species in our area (three in PA), I really can’t think of a good reason to fear snakes.  Even the venomous ones won’t strike unless threatened.