How Do the Gartner Snakes of the Manitoba Interlake Survive the Cold Canadian Wintertime?

How do Manitoba garter Tortoise Supplies survive E2macpets cold Canadian prairie winter? Although snakes evolved in the tropics, some Frog Toad Supplies these slimy often feared creatures of the wild and mythology have over the eons evolved to have adapted to cooler and even downright cold climates. Yet snakes for sure cannot survive if actually frosty frozen. How on earth do these creatures survive the cold Canadian winters? The answer simply is that these snakes seek shelter in the ground below the cold "frost " line and essentially hibernate there doing the long winter months.

The red-sided garter snake that is known to inhabit the "Interlake" regions of the Canadian province of Manitoba ranges further north than any other snake in North America , winters in communal dens, which sometimes can contain up to 8,000 snakes.

These winter dens are called "hibernacula" or simply "winter dens". Some of the largest concentrations of these are in the area west of Lake Winnipeg, in the "Interlake" region of Manitoba west of the major centers of Gimli and Winnipeg Beach. These dens are sinkholes in the local limestone rock produced simply when underground caverns have collapsed. The resulting fissures and crevices in the limestone bedrock give the snakes access to depths below the frost line, a necessity since winter temperatures in the region can often dip to minus forty degrees centigrade which translates into - 40 degrees Fahrenheit as well. Its so cold in these areas that the local have electric Pet Reptile Supplies " in the engine blocks of their cars which they plug into E2macpets ac electrical jacks in order to start their cars in the dead of the - 40 degrees January winter cold temperatures.

What is even better is that when spring arrives, usually in Pet Reptile Supplies May that hundreds and hundreds of snakes will pour out of the dens onto the rocks and rockfaces. You would think that you are seeing a sight of more snakes in one place than anywhere else in the world and you are most likely correct.

By early autumn these same garter snakes are now fat and firm with lots of carbohydrates and fat from their summer of feeding. Once they return to their dens they will not feed again for the next six or seven months. They will live off their fat reserves from the summertime feedings. Interestingly these same snakes seem to arrive at the dens earlier than need be - in fact it can be a month of so before they really need to arrive. This is yet another adaptation learnt and time tested from nature. As the fall days get shorter and winter is closer, temperatures are generally on the cooling trend. Snakes being cold blooded become sluggish during the cooler weather. It's a case of getting the work done while the iron is hot.

Soon it will the winter season. These garter snakes will be safely underground in their winter dens. It may be cold outside - very cold - yet these smart garter snakes , who along with nature sit tight hibernating in temperatures that are a couple of degrees above freezing. You might well think that these Ball Python Supplies garter snakes are smarter than many of the people you meet in your travels. Its as if they know to plan ahead, to save food and energy and get out of the cold and go "south " for the winter.

Jadran Z.E. Transcona

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