![]() Thus, the effective range of a downhill strike may exceed that normally expected across a level surface.Ĭaves and deep crevices on rocky hillsides are common hibernaculums for rattlers. On very steep slopes, a snake could lose balance during a strike and actually fall toward its target. If striking downhill, however, gravity and the momentum generated by a strike may combine to carry the animal farther forward than would occur over flat ground. That means a three foot long snake may be able to strike a distance of two feet. As a rule of thumb, rattlesnakes can strike a distance of two-thirds their total body length. ![]() Just like humans, snakes head out to enjoy the sun and unsuspecting hikers can startle them and cause them to strike. Nice sunny winter days that follow a long cold snap are often when people are surprised by snakes. On warm days, brumating snakes sometimes come out of their dens to bask in the sunshine. If male snakes don’t cool down at some point during the year, they most likely would not be able to produce fertile sperm. Brumation or hibernation is necessary for breeding. Snakes don’t actually sleep in Brumation, but their bodies acclimate to a lower temperature, their metabolism slows, and they become less active and less inclined to feed. Hibernation is a deep sleep, usually occuring in colder, snow covered climates in northern states. In warmer southern states, snakes often don’t go into hibernation, but brumation. Generally, rattlesnakes emerge from hibernation in March or April, or when the average daytime temperatures reach and remain about 60 degrees Fahrenheit and higher. Venomous snakes from North America, such as rattlers, copperheads, and cottonmouths, hibernate when the weather cools down. Snake activity picks up as temperatures fall in late summer and early autumn before they go into hibernation, which can be as early as September or as late as December. Snakes from tropical climates, such as pythons and boas, don’t hibernate at all. When snakes in the wild go into hibernation depends on two things: their location and their species.Ī snake in Minnesota will go into hibernation much earlier than a snake in Texas, and come out of hibernation much later. I told her that I would share her valid concern across the company. It could provide a home for a snake seeking a safe place to hibernate. She was especially concerned about the crew members at the quarry working on or near equipment that had been idle for a period of time. During a recent visit to the Williamsville Quarry in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, Paula (Robinett) Williams approached me with a concern regarding snake activity in the fall of the year.
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