Posted on 08/16/2005 8:56:09 AM PDT by T-Bird45
It happens every year: large numbers of copperheads gather and move in unison to dens for hibernation. But it happens in October, not July or August. Now the common event has become an uncommon and inexplicable one.
"I know for a fact that all these snakes didn't just wake up one day and do this," said Chuck Miller, whose Marion County yard has been overrun with the pitvipers. "Something's making them do it. They know something we don't know. There's got to be something more to this."
Nearly 100 of the snakes are using a cedar tree as a sort of meeting place, and neither Miller, an outdoorsman and former snake owner, nor scientists who have traveled to the rural north central Arkansas site to study the phenomenon, know why.
Stanley Trauth, a zoology professor at Arkansas State University, said the snakes normally gather to move to hibernation sites in the fall. Trauth has traveled to Miller's property to conduct research on the snakes' behavior.
"With this hot weather we didn't anticipate such a grand movement of so many snakes. In the fall they aggregate in fairly large numbers, so it's quite an unusual event," Trauth said in a telephone interview Monday.
Miller agrees. "If it were October, no one would know about it. It wouldn't be that strange," he said.
When the snakes first started showing up three weeks ago, Miller said he was a little concerned that no one would believe how many were visiting the cedar tree, so he began collecting the reptiles. He saw 20 the first night, he said.
One of his friends contacted Trauth and the research began.
Trauth and one of his graduate students traveled to Miller's property and embedded a radio transmitter in one of the snakes for tracking purposes. Other snakes also had tags clipped to their scales.
Miller said seven of nine tagged snakes were taken a quarter-mile away from the tree and released, but have since returned to the tree and been recaptured.
Trauth said the copperheads gather at the tree to leave their scent. By rubbing the tree, other copperheads know that it is a marker on the way to a den site, he said.
But Trauth is only guessing that the snakes are preparing to move to a den for hibernation.
"All we can do is speculate as to what this is right now. This might be a precursor to an actual event. But having the numbers there that he's had, it just makes you wonder what's going on," Trauth said.
A gathering of copperheads like the one in Miller's yard has not been documented before, Trauth said. Though he can't yet explain why it's happening, he can say for sure it's not for mating or feeding.
All the snakes that have been gathering at the base of the tree are adult males. Copperheads also like to feed on cicadas, but the insects haven't appeared in the area in large numbers this year.
The best guess, Trauth said, is the snakes are moving to hibernate as usual - they're just doing it earlier than normal.
All Miller knows is, it's weird.
"It's like seeing a bigfoot or something walk across the yard; if you don't keep them, no one will believe you," he said.
Perhaps there are more snakes because of the decline of predators or something else that keeps them in check (disease?)
Maybe a Spring increase in what they eat, they got their fill earlier than usual and are already ready to hibernate?
A wetter or drier than normal year that moved them from their normal habitat?
An impatient and spoiled generation of snakes because their lib parents refused to whip them?
So many possible explanations...
Leaves are turning here in Iowa, but that is partially do to the drought. The willows are dieing.
One month early.
After a week of temps in the 90's and Saturday topping 100, we got some rain and yesterday the temp didn't make it to 70.
Hawks and eagles are probably the number one snake predictors. There are more of these birds today than 25 years ago...
Quick! Check Howard Dean's schedule,
I thought the Senate DIMRAT caucas met in Washington???
Oh, that's right, Dillbo was from ARK. I guess he scr*wed things up good down there . . . got all that slithering and slathering all confused.
Nearly 100 of the snakes are using a cedar tree as a sort of meeting place
Cedar tree? I thought the DNC just built new headquarters.
Dubya's got a chainsaw he can borrow to cut down that cedar tree. (BTW I never knew that copperheads were social, or is it only Ark. copperheads that do?)
We've seen more copperheads than usual this past week. I don't know if it is the rains we've had or what, but I almost stepped on one getting equipment out of the shed.
They usually stick to the wooded areas and not open space.
Same here in the N.W.!
Might be time to lay in some extra bottles of Hooch and munchies into the cellar!
bttt
Leaves are falling in Seattle already.
That was my first thought as well.
Is there an unusually high number of household pets missing?
Earthquakes are preceded by increases in the number of reported dogs and cats in local newspapers. I've never heard of snakes moving early, though.
Compare this editorial cartoon to the MSM coverage of the anti-war movement of today, and you can see just how far civilization has declined };-)
I was never aware of it either. I knew rattlesnakes 'denned' up, but I had never thught of other snakes doing so. I have always tried to avoid ANY snakes.
I know in some parts of the country, feral hogs do a pretty good job of supressing adult snake populations.
Around here Ive seen turkeys eating baby snakes and I suspect that a flock of 70 or so turkeys hunting its way through a field in spring does a lot more to supress populations than the local hawk population does all year.
Then there was this guy I new from New Mexico...
Using various high tech tools at my disposal (sniffing the air for a unique smell preceeding winter, shape of persimmon seeds, skunk activity, rabbit coats, etc) Im thus far predicting an early winter and more snow than usual for my area. Still receiving conflicting information on temperature.
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