Tuesday 3 July 2012

Snakes!

I saw my first Dekay's Brownsnake of 2012 today! Found him warming himself on an old road leading to the lake. Adorable little thing! I think it's the second one I've been able to catch.

This is a photo of a Dekay' we found in '09. My Father is holding it for the photo... the one I caught today looked identical. :)



Other snakes I've seen and/or caught include the following;

 - Ringneck Snake - Diadophis punctatus
-
Ribbon Snake - Thamnophis sauritus
-
Eastern Garter Snake - Thamnophis sirtalis
- Red-sided Gartersnake - Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis
- Gray Ratsnake - Pantherophis spiloides

There are other native species I've yet to encounter... some are on my "Life List", such as the Smooth Greensnake, Blue Racer, Eastern Foxsnake, and Milksnake.... I really want to see those one day, for real, in the wild.

Only one here is venomous... the Eastern Massasauga (Sistrurus catenatus). And they don't live in my region, thankfully.. and are extremely rare. Nearly extinct in fact.




Okay, I know it might freak some people out, but I absolutely love snakes... and am always happy to find them around. Especially the species that eat pests like slugs, snails, mice, and rats.  Horray for Snakes!!

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