They court their mates. They eat things bigger than their heads. They prefer to sleep in their own beds. They eat eggs. They stay at home in the winter, but get out more in the summer.

S-s-s-s-ound like anyone you know? Everyone you know?

Slither on into the snake scene. Don’t recoil. Scale back your preconceived
notions. And by all means, don’t get hissed off.

A lot of people don’t like snakes. All snakes don’t like people.

As Patrick Jennings wrote from the snakes’ perspective: “I was familiar with
humans ... but I found them a pitiable species: scaleless, fangless, clawless,
nearly furless, wingless, venomless, witless. I honestly didn’t understand how
they had thrived so.”

Snakes are fascinating creatures and probably the most misunderstood of the
animal kingdom. Because of these misconceptions, they are diminishing in
numbers at a high rate. Knowledge is power. Let’s explore.

A bad rap
Although there are 15 known species of snakes in Oregon, there are only five
that call the Mountain community home – none of which are poisonous,
according to Susan Barnes, an unabashed fan of snakes and a biologist for the
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

“As a biologist, all creatures have a role to play,” Barnes told The Mountain
Times. “Snakes are high on the food chain. They keep populations in order. As
we lose predators, things get out of whack.”

Barnes noted that because of human misunderstandings, snakes get a bad
rap. “We can be helpful or harmful,” she said. “Lots of species are moving
toward endangered. We have to help these critters.”

Sadly, snakes get killed for no other reason than the fact they are there.

Mountain snakes
The five Mountain snakes are the garter snake (three types: Common garter
snake, Western terrestrial garter snake, Northwestern garter snake), gopher
snake, racer, rubber boa and the ringed necked snake. They are harmless to
humans. In fact, they are helpful.

Our slithering sidekicks consume rodents, insects, slugs, snails, lizards and
occasionally other snakes. They are also important prey for hawks, owls,
herons and weasels.

The most common encounter Mountain folks have is with the garter snake.
For various reasons they tend to hang out near us. They like the grassy and
bushy areas of backyards and parks. At hibernation time the garter snake
likes to make its bed in lumber, wood and rock piles.

Because of these tendencies the garter snake also falls prey to domestic
animals, and are often captured as pets.

“This is one reason the Common garter snake may soon be losing its first
name,” Barnes said. “Leave them in the wild. Often when taken as pets they
will eventually be released and be infected with a fungus that then gets
spread.”

Snake activity
Now is a time when snakes will be seen more often. They hit the road looking
for a place to hibernate. They need shelter from predators and must regulate
body temperature as they are cold-blooded animals. They will seek out areas

that are warm enough, neither too dry nor too wet, and must be well-
ventilated.

If they find a particularly nice winter home, it’s not unusual for them to return
year after year – often sharing the space with other snakes, and even lizards
of a decent disposition.

They will emerge in spring and once the temperature on the Mountain
stabilizes they will get moving around again, searching for their hunting
ground and keeping an unblinking eye and a lashing tongue on full alert for
the slither of the tail of the perfect mate.