We really like snakes! The gentle gray rat snakes are fascinating. Our girls really like snakes. They've learned about them. We don't have any poisonous ones around here. Water snakes are known for biting, but these gentle creature just roam looking for critters in the trees.
This is from a camping trip and visit the girls made to Murphys Point Park, when they track these endangered snakes.
 |
| gray rat snake The girls are such hams! |
This is a series of tweets and videos from Kim, whom I follow on Twitter. She lives here in southeast Ontario. It's hilarious! Her commentary, I mean.
First, a traverse across the food prep table. For scale, the table is about 4ft long and bar height. These are grey rat snakes. They darken as they age. The front one shows more markings and is definitely longer and more broad. The other one is darker, and slimmer pic.twitter.com/Ai6yNm5sT1
— Kimberly Moynahan 🌎🇺🇸🇨🇦 (@Kim_Moynahan) June 4, 2021
And then they both went INTO THE BBQ! 😳 That’s the tail of one and the head of the other. That would have been quite a surprise had we not seen them go in. pic.twitter.com/Yqmz0FjKEl
— Kimberly Moynahan 🌎🇺🇸🇨🇦 (@Kim_Moynahan) June 4, 2021
They spent quite a bit of time in there. Maybe 15 mins. Then the presumed female started looking for an exit near the bottom. Also, do snakes yawn? pic.twitter.com/bwMhA4IJnC
— Kimberly Moynahan 🌎🇺🇸🇨🇦 (@Kim_Moynahan) June 4, 2021
BBQ is all clear, but I found where they went. #SpotTheSnake pic.twitter.com/cPag8EFOdk
— Kimberly Moynahan 🌎🇺🇸🇨🇦 (@Kim_Moynahan) June 4, 2021
: The gray ratsnake (Pantherophis spiloides) is the largest snake in Canada and can grow to 2.5 metres in length. Juveniles are distinctly blotched, but older individuals become increasingly black with only faint patterning. The belly is whitish with black checkerboard markings, and the throat is a uniform cream or white.
View an interactive map of the known ranges of gray ratsnakes in Ontario.
JB went in for footcare, and saw a dead gray rat snake by the side of the road. So sad. This is part of the reason they are endangered.
12 comments:
Hello,
What a nice outing for your grandkids! I am ok to watch snakes from a distance. I do not want to hold one. We saw a big rat snake at the park last week. Looks like a fun day, great photos. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, have a happy weekend!
chacun à son goût
...and how about NOT!
Hari OM
They look fun - I don't mind snakes, even the venomous ones; which is just well having lived in OZ! I once had a diamond python make its den in my compost heap in Sydney. Just for one season. YAM xx
Great that the girls are comfortable with the snake. I encounter Chequered keel-backs on my birding trips. It creeps me out, even though I know they are non-venomous.
I rarely see snakes but I definitely don't go looking for them!
I don't mind snakes but I think those two would have freaked me out a bit.
How interesting but pardon me if I hurry through the photos! hahaha! I've been berry picking this week and looking for snakes while I pick!
We have all sorts of snakes here including different kinds of rat snakes. I have never heard of the gray rat snake though. People are better at live and let live but there are still people who kill every snake they see.
We have several kinds of venomous snakes and so I keep a sharp eye for those. From what I read most people who are bitten are people not leaving the snake alone.
Fascinating snakes.
Thankfully we don't have too many snakes in the UK. Not sure what I'd do if I came across one like this.
How wonderful that the girls are being taught not to be afraid of snakes and other animals that are harmless. You've always been an excellent teacher.
Post a Comment