What is it about snakes that causes people to cringe, recoil or shriek? These reactions can be caused by a photo or even the mere mention of a snake, let alone a live encounter with one. I have witnessed otherwise well-grounded folks running in panic from small garter snakes, so clearly there is a deep-seated trigger mechanism at work.
Most of my wildlife presentations include a photo of a snake, admittedly some of the deadliest species on Earth, but I use the photos to illustrate that snakes are an important part of the ecosystems where they live. I know there will be a range of reactions from the audience, with some people leaning back as if to avoid the snake. In discussions, it seems that many people had snake encounters at young ages that left them with a permanent fear of the creatures. Spiders also trigger such reactions — far different from the response to photos of rabbits, fawns or koala bears!
I hope the photo here did not cause you to drop the Anchor and jump onto the sofa. It is, after all, a beautiful snake, with amazing camouflage thanks to its coloration. This is an eastern milk snake, encountered by good friend Peter Shiras on an Orr’s Island trail.
Milk snakes are characterized by bold-patterned skin — in this case, a light-tan background with brown patches separated by black highlights. The brown patches may be mostly red and the background grayish. If you dare to look, the belly is checked in black and white. At first glance on my phone, I misidentified the snake as a common water snake, since they may overlap in appearance.
The eastern milk snake ranges from Ontario to the north as far south as Alabama. They are commonly found in or near some type of cover, such as shrubs, rock piles, old foundations and abandoned mammal burrows. They will make use of barns, woodpiles or basements, especially during winter hibernation in the company of other snakes.
In early summer, this snake lays up to 12 eggs under cover, including sand, and the eggs hatch in a little over two months. The snakes reach maturity by 4 years of age, growing up to 3 feet long.
This snake is part of the Colubridae family, with more than 1,700 members worldwide, about two-thirds of all snake species. Scientists classify them by the absence of hind legs, diminished or missing left lungs, a fragile facial structure and relatively few head scales. Most colubrids are nonvenomous, but generally those with venom are not a threat to humans unless they can chew on the skin to gradually release their venom (as with the coral snake). Milk snakes have been observed shaking their tails when threatened, mimicking rattlesnakes.
The milk snake is a constrictor, striking first with its mouth to stun or grab prey, then wrapping its body around its target to suffocate it. Prey is swallowed whole. The snakes hunt mostly at night, in search of small mammals, birds, eggs, slugs or insects. They can eat venomous snakes thanks to an ability to neutralize venom.
Predators of the snake include raptors, skunks, raccoons, opossums, foxes and coyotes. Their similarity in appearance to copperheads and coral snakes serves to dissuade some predators.
When I was around 5 years old, I had an encounter with a small milk snake. I grabbed the tail with the intention of putting it in a jam jar for observation. The snake reacted by bending around and biting me on the skin between my thumb and index finger. While I don’tt remember any pain, I recall being scared enough to whip my hand around and fling the snake a good distance away. While this left me cautious about snakes, I have learned to be comfortable around these fascinating and diverse creatures. Admittedly you will not see me wading into a cluster of garter snakes to grab them by the handful, as did one of my boyhood friends!
The term milk snake originated from a myth that snakes could suckle cows for milk. I seriously doubt this is true, but you can imagine snakes enjoying the mice around dairy barns.
Bottom line: Snakes need better publicity agents. Whether the python Kaa in “The Jungle Book,” the cobra form of Jafar in the movie “Aladdin,” or the nefarious Nagini in the Harry Potter books, snakes are too often portrayed as wicked or terrifying. In fact, they play an important role in the natural world.
