Snakes may temporarily emerge from hibernation to feed and bask during warm periods in mild areas. Emergence from hibernation can begin as early as March, depending on the species and location.Snakes will use the same hibernaculum year after year several hundred snakes and different species may occupy the same hibernaculum.Hibernation sites must remain warm enough to prevent death by freezing, they must be neither too dry nor too wet, and they must be adequately ventilated.Hibernation sites (snake dens) are also used for shelter at other times, and include rodent burrows, spaces under logs and tree stumps, rock crevices, and lumber and rock piles.Snakes in Washington hibernate during winter, either alone or in a group site called a hibernaculum.Snakes store food as fat, and can live off their fat reserve for extended periods of time.Snakes have forked tongues that deposit air molecules on receptors in the mouth thus, snakes “taste” the air, which helps them locate prey and sense their way in the dark.Even so, what a snake eats depends on its size generally, larger snakes eat larger food items. Snakes have hinged jaws that allow them to consume food that is wider than their bodies.Other prey items include insects, bird eggs and nestlings, fish, frogs, and lizards. Snakes are predators and eat many animals thought to be pests-mice, voles, snails, and slugs.Besides their ecological value, snakes offer the careful wildlife viewer a chance to watch one of nature’s most efficient predators. Don’t attempt to capture them, and don’t keep wild ones as pets.Īll snakes are an important part of the natural food chain, eating a variety of prey-from mice and birds to frogs and insects. Observe snakes, like all wild animals, from a respectful distance. Snakes should be left alone, and except for a rattlesnake that poses an immediate danger to people or pets, no snake should ever be killed. Of the dozen or so species of snakes found in Washington, only the Western rattlesnake is capable of inflicting a venomous bite, which it seldom does. As a result, many harmless, beneficial snakes have met untimely deaths at the hands of shovel-wielding humans. Snakes are among the most misunderstood of all animals. In Washington it is found from coastal and mountain forests to sagebrush deserts, usually close to water or wet meadows-or your garden. The common garter snake is the most wide-ranging reptile in North America. Monofilament recovery and recycling programįigure 1.The boa first strikes at the prey, grabbing it with its teeth it then proceeds to constrict the prey until death before consuming it whole. However, they do hunt, particularly in regions with a low concentration of suitable prey, and hunting generally occurs at night. Boa constrictors are ambush predators, so often lie in wait for an appropriate prey to come along, when they attack. It makes their eyes appear milky, blue, or opaque so that the snake cannot see very well, causing it to be more defensive than it might be otherwise. Like all snakes, Boa constrictors in a shed cycle are more unpredictable, because of the substance that lubricates between the old skin and the new one. Their bite can be painful, especially from large snakes, but is rarely dangerous to humans. These snakes strike when they perceive a threat. Boa constrictors often occupy the burrows of medium-sized mammals, where they can hide from potential predators. As semi-arboreal snakes, young Boa constrictors may climb into trees and shrubs to forage however, they become mostly terrestrial as they become older and heavier. They are nocturnal, but they may bask during the day when night-time temperatures are too low. Boa constrictors generally live on their own and do not interact with any other snakes unless they want to mate.
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