What I Have Learned Since Becoming A Snake Owner

These snakes are crepuscular (meaning that they are more active in the early mornings). These snakes usually hunt at ground level, but on few meager occasions will climb a few feet off the ground when pursuing prey. In colder-wintered regions, the snake will hibernate in mammal or gopher tortoise

There are many different species of snakes that inhabit Arizona, but the Sonoran Coral Snake, the Sonoran Mountain Kingsnake, the Milk Snake, and the Sonoran Shovel-Nosed Snake are particularly interesting because despite being different species they all look like one another. The red, black, and yellow stripes they share can be attributed to evolution and environment. The four species of snakes have different diets, habitats, and distribution, but they do share one environmental element: primary predators. All four snakes have raptors, long tailed weasels, and badgers as predators. These snakes have evolved to have stripes because raptors, long tailed weasels, and badgers are less likely to eat snakes with red, black, and yellow stripes

A female Burmese Python will lay up to 207 eggs at once. Inside her nest, she will coil her body around the eggs to maintain a temperature of about ninety degrees Fahrenheit. Incubation takes around two months. The python has only just recently been observed engaging in shivering thermo genesis for the first time outside of captivity. This is the production of body heat through muscle contractions. The mother snake does this to raise the temperature of her nest and eggs- the warmer the incubation, the quicker they will hatch, and slither free throughout the forest, carrying on its destructive path. With this sort of reproduction, it’s no wonder they’re so easily taking over the Everglades.

When capture snakes are euthanized by USNPS personnel, and the nest is destroyed. Other ways of removing the Burmese pythons are by isolating the chemical cues (pheromones) that pythons use during mating season. Once isolated, pheromones can lure pythons into traps. Trained dogs are being looked at for their effectiveness at sniffing out snakes. A release of an exotic animal in Florida is a first-degree misdemeanor with a year in prison and a $1,000 fine. Regulation went up in 2008 to limit the sale of "reptiles of concern” like the Burmese pythons, African rock pythons, reticulated pythons, green anacondas, etc. microchip implant and identification for reptiles two inches in diameter or greater. Conduct research before purchasing an exotic pet. If someone no longer cares for an exotic pet, call the Fire Rescue Department. (McCleery, 2015) The Burmese python poses challenges to trap. Trapping, a traditional method of snake capture, can include an inescapable funnel device and a drift fence that direct the snake into the trap. It is important that the drift fence is inserted into the so the snakes don’t bypass it. The problem with this is with the hard limestone foundation making construction of the drift fences difficult. Finally, the immense area that the Burmese python occupied will make it hard to utility an extensive trapping. It would be more practical to trap them on

The Burmese python is a very large and dangerous snake. Owners go into the store and buy a snake, they like, not realizing how big it's going to get. According to source one, “… Capable of growing to an astonishing length of  23 feet and weigh up to about 200 pounds.” This example provides proof the pythons grow to big to be kept in the house. This article also states, “When animal tries to pull away, it only sinks further into the python grip then the python coils its large and powerful body around the animal… And swallows

Ring-neck snakes live in various habitats. However, they prefer areas with damp soil and temperatures between 27 and 29 degrees Celsius. Mostly, their habitats are grasslands, rocky hillsides, coniferous forests, farmland, chaparrals, and mixed woodlands. Ring-neck snakes also like hiding, so most of the time they can be found beneath stones or barks from dead trees.

Snakeheads are capable of spreading to many different areas and habitats. They do this by swimming underwater into other waterways. Snakeheads also have the ability to breathe out of water, so they can travel short distances on land to get to different areas. Even though snakeheads only breed when temperatures are warm, their eggs only take 1 to 2 days to hatch; causing quicker births of individuals.

The snake in question is a Western Rat Snake, which is non-venomous. You can find it just about anywhere in central North America. But, it is an especially common snake to find in Texas. This little guy just happens to have a unique scale pattern that resembles sunglasses and a mustache.

Mostly because there are 10’s of thousands of these snakes and that they have no natural predators. In source two by Andrew Ng, the text states, “With no natural predators these eating machines seem to be wiping out huge numbers of opossums, raccoons, and bobcats, as well as many bird species.” As you could most likely tell, these snakes are completely wiping out the Ecosystem. People finally started to notice the large growth in the Burmese python’s population. The people of Florida knew that they had to do something or the ecosystem would absolutely die, because at this point they were fed up with doing nothing. Source two states, “Florida senator Bill Nelson took the skin from a 16-foot python to senate committee on the

When looking at their physical appearance, they are slim and scaly and sometimes rough. In addition to being the second most venomous snake, rattlesnakes are infamous for being quick, silent killers that only make noise to intimidate. “…the rattlesnake which known as the 'rattler is a symbol of potency and fertility…the rattle is a symbol of death and transformation since its venom can turn one nearing death to life” (Hallberg). Although they are patient and typically coiled into tight loops, the consequences of pushing these reptiles too far to the edge can be quick and fatal. When analyzing Delia Jones' character, many of the traits depicted in snakes are evident in her as

Savarje, P.J. and R.L. Bruggers. 1999. Candidate repellents, oral, and dermal toxicants, and fumigants for brown tree snake control. Pages 417-422 in Rodda, G.H., Y. Sawai, D. Chizar, and H. Tanaka, Eds. Problem snake management: habu and brown tree snake examples, Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press. http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1007&context=nwrcrepellants

This snake has the most venom, more than any other snake in the world. If left untreated, the death rate from a bite from this snake is eighty percent. That being said, this snake does not usually bite, is actually easy going, and stays away from confrontation.

It is hypothesized that snakes are capable of leaving pheromone trails for themselves or their offspring to locate hibernacula because the hibernacula keep them from freezing in the winter[cite conspecific trailing behavior of red-sided garter snakes] To contrary belief, snakes are not solitary animals when it comes to hibernacula.Snakes are often highly selective in the choice of sites for hibernation, and suitable sites can potentially be a limiting resource(.Pine Snake (Pituophis Ruthveni and Pituophis Melanoleucus Lodingi) Hibernacula D. C. Rudolph, R. R. Schaefer, S. J. Burgdorf, M. Duran, and R. N. Conner) Snakes colonize together and use hibernaculum to escape frigid winters (Macartney et al. 1989; Sexton et al. 1992) and are likely to overwinter to avoid freezing temperatures (Mathies T. and Martin. J.D 2008) in order to regulate physiological processes after spring emergence for basking (Gregory 1984). Given the benefits of hibernaculum, in the off chance snakes do not locate hibernacula is it more like for that snake to run the risk of not surviving. "The high fidelity that snakes display towards specific hibernacula suggests that hibernacula have unique characteristics which allow them to be repeatedly relocated and features which may be critical in allowing overwinter survival" (Burger et al. 1988;

know what they look like, what their venom does, and what action to take if bitten. There are four types of venomous snakes in the area; they are all classified as Pit Vipers: Copperhead, Cottonmouth, Timber Rattle Snake and Pygmy Rattlesnake (Powers, 2014). Ticks, brown recluse spiders, and black widow spiders also pose potential health threats to members of the community (“Tennessee”, 2007).

Before answering the guiding question evidence needed to be collected. We confirmed that all the snakes are not from the same species, which means that their similarities don't have to do with heredity. We also confirmed that their predators, the Ferruginous hawk, cooper's hawk, and red-tailed hawk are in fact the same, and surprisingly compared to other snakes