2. My Experience I am originally from Huntingburg, Indiana. My family and I live in a log cabin in the woods a few miles outside of town. As I was growing up in the country, I would occasionally stumble upon a snake in the woods or around the pond. This past summer, I saw many more snakes than I am used to seeing. Typically, I would see a couple of snakes a year, but this past summer I probably saw 15-20 snakes. I also noticed that all of the snakes looked like they were the same type. This made me curious to find out what kind of snakes they were, and why there were more of them this year than in other years.
3. Questions What kind of snake was I seeing? Why were there more snakes this year? How can I tell if a snake is venomous?
4. Connection with Indicators 4.4.3 Observe and describe that organisms interact with one another in various ways. 4.4.4 Observe and describe that some source of energy is needed for all organisms to stay alive and grow.
5. What kind of snake was I seeing? After visiting IPFW’s website on reptiles, and looking through lists and pictures, I came to find that the snakes I were seeing were gray rat snakes, which are found in the southwestern part of Indiana. Gray rat snakes eat small rodents, birds, and eggs. This would explain why they are at my house. There are many birds, field mice, moles, etc.
6. Gray rat snakes can grow anywhere from 42” to 72” in length. They are mostly dark to medium gray in color with brown or gray blotches. They are usually found in open woods, hillsides, and dry, grassy areas. They even live in barns and sheds, close to humans.
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8. Why were there more snakes this year? After finding out that gray rat snakes eat small rodents and birds, it makes sense why we would have gray rat snakes. Also, this is the first year that my family does not have any cats on the property, and we have our dog in a pen instead of letting him run free. The cats would always get the mice and baby birds, and my dog would always catch baby rabbits and moles.
9. If there aren’t any cats or dogs, it makes sense that there would be more mice, birds, moles, and other rodents for snakes to eat. If there is more prey, there will be more predators. In this case, we have had an increase in snakes.
10. How can I tell if a snake is venomous? The main way to tell if a snake is venomous is to look at its eye. If it has a round pupil, it is most likely to not be venomous (gray rat snake). If it has an elliptical shaped pupil (much like a cat’s pupil) it is most likely to be venomous.
11. A snake is likely to not be venomous if it has a round head, and is most likely to be venomous if it has a flat head.
12. References IPFW site: http://herpcenter.ipfw.edu/index.htm?http://herpcenter.ipfw.edu/outreach/INspecies.htm&2 Gray rat snake. Retrieved November9 , 2009 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey_Rat_Snake. Poisonous or Not?: http://lifestyle.iloveindia.com/lounge/how-to-tell-if-a-snake-is-poisonous-2805.html Poisonous snake chart:http://www.arkieprince.com/snake/snakehead.jpg Pictures: www.google.com/imghp
