ISearch Paper - Snakes Where They Don't Belong?

 Environment of New England

Professor Taylor

Karac St. Laurent

Snakes Where They Don’t Belong?

The location I have opted to use for this research project has proven to hold a lot of interesting secrets. Its geography, especially, confused me at first. My location is a very lush area, where the forest meets an open field. Obviously, this melding of two habitats provides a lot of room for different kinds of animals to be seen and to interact with new environments. My previous area of focus, a sandy patch of soil, has also proven to be full of surprises. When I first arrived at my spot, I spotted a small snake, slithering in and out of the sand, and eventually diving in, never to be seen by me again. What kind of snake was this? Why did it like this one spot of sand?

To determine this, it seems proper that I should first determine what, exactly, this snake is. The snake itself was rather small, definitely not longer than six inches and likely as short as four in length. The body was dark, I vaguely recall. Unfortunately, the pattern was hard to discern, as the serpent itself was coming in and out of sand. As far as I can remember, the markings on the back were of a whitish-yellow-green. I remember the body being thin, not because I noticed it was thin but because I noticed it moved the way a thin snake moves. It was very fast, very smooth and whipping, like a string being woven very swiftly through the sand. 

Unfortunately, I am forced, to some extent, to assume what this snake’s habitat was. It was seen in this patch of sand, but by all accounts, North American snakes don’t really like that kind of soil. They prefer cover, something a little more damp. This dry, barren environment seemed an odd choice in such an expansive field and such a dense, wet forest. What was this thing, and why was it where it was?

I began doing my research by looking into the kinds of snakes we expect to find in North America, and by proxy, in New England. Soon enough, I found what I expected I would find as a popular result: garter snakes. (Eastern Garter)

Garter snakes are one of the most common kinds of snakes in New England. However, just by appearance, garter snakes seemed all wrong. They were thickly built, they were often citrus colors, without the dark scales my sand snake had. It didn’t seem that my snake was on record at first. Until, of course, I discovered the Eastern ribbon snake. 

The Eastern ribbon snake is, itself, a type of garter snake. It is characterized with a small, dark, slender body with light green-yellow markings along the back and the sides of the eyes (Eastern Ribbonsnake). The Eastern ribbon snake is a perfect match in appearance for what I saw, and so, I will refer to my snake going forward as such.

Of course, knowing what my snake really was was only half the mission. Now that I had a good handle on what my snake was, I had to know why it was there. This small patch of soil seemed so crucial, now, to this location. It seemed like everything interesting had something to do with this sand. The sand tipped me off to the presence of people hundreds of years ago, as it is an indicator of the effects of very, very old agricultural grounds on the soil around them. The sand drew my attention to other, more obvious signs as a result, like old rock walls and a nearby wooden structure of some sort, close to the Ashuelot river. This spot seemed to have a part to play in almost every notable geographical feature this location has to offer. Why, then, did this snake call this soil home? What was this soil important for now?

At first, this question was impossible to answer. Researching what Eastern ribbon snakes are fond of and where they tend to breed, I found something very confusing; the diet of the Eastern ribbon snake consists of frogs, tadpoles, and various salamanders. During the rainy days, I suppose this spot might receive such visitors. However, considering the land’s soil characterizes it as dry, and the snake seemed to enjoy this soil more than even the forest or nearby river, this fact was puzzling. This ribbon snake is clearly displaced not very far from where its favorite snacks are, and yet, it prefers to burrow in the sand instead of returning to the river. Why?

Displacement itself could explain why the snake was where it was. After all, Keene has had its fair share of windy and rainy days this year. It isn’t out of the question, to any extent, that this little reptile was either drowned or blown out of its habitat and now finds itself in a different, but still close-by, spot. (Controlling)

Although natural reasons for displacement are abundant, the question of why the snake did not return remains. What about this sandy soil is preferable to the natural riverside? The answer, I have come to realize, may not lie with the snake entirely the snake, but also with that river. It is no secret that the river is a bit unnatural in some areas. It has been dug out, which makes terrain difficult to maneuver for smaller animals, and thus, much of the prey of small predators leaves; this may well include things like frogs and salamanders. 

If this is the case, as it is in many parts of the Ashuelot, it is conceivable why this snake won’t return. With one area depleted of resources, perhaps it had to look for another. Ironically, as it has so many times already, this sandy location proves to have something of value that I simply could not see before. Unlike many other animals in the area, Eastern ribbon snakes appreciate a good patch of sand; it’s actually the only kind of soil their bodies are strong enough to burrow into (Ferraro). The snake may have found itself losing its mian diet, but clearly, it’s gained a more suitable home, and probably doesn’t even plan to try returning to the river.

Works Cited

Eastern Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis). (n.d.). Retrieved December 02, 2020, from https://srelherp.uga.edu/snakes/thasir.htm

Controlling Snakes After a Storm or Flood. (n.d.). Retrieved December 02, 2020, from https://extension.missouri.edu/publications/agw1011

Eastern Ribbonsnake. (2020, November 30). Retrieved December 02, 2020, from https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/florida-snake-id/snake/eastern-ribbonsnake/

Eastern Ribbon Snake (U.S. National Park Service). (n.d.). Retrieved December 02, 2020, from https://www.nps.gov/articles/eastern-ribbon-snake.htm

Ferraro, D. M., & Vantassel, S. M. (2011). Garter Snakes in and Around The Home [PDF]. University of Nebraska-Lincoln.