Snakes will brumate anywhere they feel warm and safe. In much of North America, this means early spring.Ī great basin rattlesnake taking shelter in the rocks Where Do Snakes Take Shelter While They Brumate? When temperatures get above 60 degrees Fahrenheit, they are likely to come out and enjoy the warmer weather again during the daylight hours. In some parts of the world, it may only be a few weeks. In cold climates, this could last for nine months. Snakes will stay in brumation while it’s cold. How Long Do Wild Snakes Stay In Brumation For? As their body heat levels drop, snakes will naturally know to enter brumation, raise their glycogen levels, and take care of themselves. There are parts of the United States where they have species of snakes that start to show signs of brumation in late October, while in other areas, the cold months may not begin until later in December. In North America, it often gets a lot colder earlier in Alaska and Canada than it does somewhere further south, like Kansas. Snakes brumate based on the average daytime temperatures, so they aren’t sticking to a particular time of year. Depending on the region, bears will enter hibernation in mid-November or December, and for male bears, this will often last for five months. When Do Snakes Brumate?įor bears, the hibernation period solidly lasts all winter and can be fairly easily predicted. They will usually find a warm home for the winter near a water source for this reason. Even in the harsh cold, snakes will need to go out for water to avoid dehydration. This keeps their muscles in good shape so they can be prepared to move around on sunny days or so they can seek out water. To prepare for brumation, they will build up their intake of glycogen (sugar). Because of this, as the weather gets colder, a snake will eat less. They can actually die because the food will rot in their stomach. If a snake goes into brumation with a stomach full of food, it won’t be able to process the food. Warm weather helps a snake’s digestive system, and cold weather slows its digestion down. On winter days, when the sun is out, they will leave their shelter to lie on a warm rock in the light.Ī bear in hibernation will eat a lot to fatten up before they go into a deep sleep for the duration of the cold weather.Ī snake in brumation will not want to fatten up because that will slow its metabolic rates. When it’s very cold out, they will stay in the same place where they’ve found a warm shelter. Snakes in brumation will move slowly, which helps keep them warm and balance their metabolic rates. However, for cold-blooded animals, the plan is nothing like what we know of bears and their habits.Ī bear in hibernation will never leave their den. This is similar to hibernation in that it’s a process to prepare for the winter, and they are more lethargic. Snakes do not hibernate, but they do brumate. So where are snakes all winter? Do they migrate to temperate climates? Are they hibernating with the bears? The answer is actually a fascinating one. Meanwhile, most of us know that we don’t often see snakes during the winter, but we’ve never heard of snakes getting fat to prepare for the drop in temperature. For these warm-blooded animals, this is the best way to survive the winter. To prepare for this, they spend the autumn months eating as much as they can, find a good safe den, and then go into a deep sleep until the colder weather passes. Most of us know that bears hibernate during the cold winter months.
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