Adobe Stock Image/Courtesy Walking Mountains Science Center
Imagine you’re treking your preferred path through the montane shrublands and hear a little rustle in the plants by your feet. You instantly freeze in your tracks and focus on the ground till the rustling begins once again; you’re now extremely looking at the ground to examine the strange animal that remains in close distance.
Is it a meadow dog? A grouse? A woodrat? Feet planted to the ground, you lean a little closer for a much better appearance. It’s a snake, eek! You ask yourself, “Why is there a snake in the mountains? I thought snakes lived in hot, arid habitats. Is it venomous? What do I do if it bites me? Are there more in the area?” Your snake friend crawls away vanishing into the high brush leaving you puzzled and with numerous unanswered concerns.
July 16 is World Snake Day and while snakes might get a bum rap for being frightening risk noodles, they’re a crucial part of our environment. Colorado is home to 29 types of snakes, 2 of which you can discover right here in Eagle County. The most typical snake you might discover is the Western terrestrial garter snake, or the roaming garter snake, which can be determined by a light yellow or white main dorsal stripe ranging from the back of its head to the suggestion of its tail and 2 comparable stripes on each side of their body.
However, attempting to determine this types can be challenging due to its severe irregularity in color stages and patterns amongst people. Using color and pattern alone can be an undependable and possibly hazardous approach for attempting to precisely determine a types of snake when you’re in the field. Older adult snakes or snakes ready to shed their skin will have an extremely faint or almost no pattern at all making them appear strong in color. Herpetologists, a researcher who studies reptiles and amphibians, take a look at the shape and amount of a snake’s scales instead of the color to determine a types. They try to find particular diagnostic functions consisting of scutellation, the variety of scales on the head, and whether the scales are keeled or smooth.
Western terrestrial garter snakes have actually keeled scales, suggesting their scales have a difficult ridge in the center providing a rougher, less smooth appearance. They likewise can be determined by the 8 private labial scales on their head with the 6th and seventh scale being bigger than the others. This garter snake can be discovered in almost any terrestrial or wetland environment in the area of practically any body of water within its geographical and elevational variety of anywhere listed below 11,000 feet in Colorado.
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The other typical snake types you might discover in Eagle County is the Great Basin gopher snake, or the bullsnake. These snakes normally have actually keeled scales and a yellow-colored dorsum with various big, dark spots that develop into narrower stripes towards the suggestion of the tail. Bullsnakes can mature to 9 feet in length, which is 3 times the length of an adult Western terrestrial garter snake. They are normally discovered in a variety of environments throughout Colorado consisting of plains meadows, marshes, rocky canyons, semidesert and mountain shrublands, ponderosa pine and other montane forests at elevations listed below 8,500 feet.
While no poisonous types are discovered in Eagle County, Colorado is home to 3 types of pit vipers: grassy field rattlesnakes, midget faded rattlesnakes, and Western Massasauga rattlesnakes. These types can all be determined by having heat-sensing pits in between their eyes and nostrils and, obviously, the unique rattle on their tails. When taking a trip into the desert or foothills of Colorado, ensure to watch out for our viper pals. Just since they’re poisonous, doesn’t suggest they’re vicious! Remember, if you can’t securely determine a snake from a range it’s finest to leave it be.
Paige McAllister is a biologist at Walking Mountains Science Center who manages and deals with risk noodles for enjoyable since she has a license to do so. Her mom does not authorize.
