Every spring, tens of thousands of garter snakes emerge from their communal tunnels to find partners, creating a breathtaking natural sight in southern Manitoba, Canada. Professor Tracy Langkilde, Head of Biology at Pennsylvania State University, took an astonishing shot of the snakes constructing a gigantic knot during their mating rite this year.
The snakes’ dens during the long and severe Canadian winter are limestone cavern networks that allow them to escape freezing. Professor Langkilde calculated that there were close to 10,000 garter snakes in this specific burrow. As the soil begins to thaw in early spring, the snakes slowly emerge from their caves in a mass migration that lasts from late April until the end of May.
Following their emergence, the males remain around the dens, waiting for the females to emerge when the mating season begins. When a female snake emerges, multiple males build enormous courting balls around her. This may be both intriguing and terrifying to see.
During the courting ritual, some male snakes even change their pheromones so that other males think they’re female and slither on top of them as well. This behavior not only warms the newly emerged male but also protects him from predators such as crows that loiter around the dens and pick out the liver of cold and largely immobile snakes.
The image of the snakes forming a massive knot during their mating ritual was shared by a local snake catcher, Stewart Lalor from Elite Snake Catching Services, on social media in the past week because it is mating season in Australia, and the snakes’ behavior in Canada is incredibly rare.
In Australia, snakes don’t hibernate in dens like the garter snakes in Canada. Instead, they slow down a bit during the colder months, but they remain active throughout the year. For about three months, Australian snakes go into “brumation,” a hibernation-like state where they become lethargic and sometimes stop moving.
Mr. Lalor said there was no need to fear this many snakes gathering together in Australia. While he had heard of a case of about a dozen brown snakes on one property, he added that it was quite rare.
The mating ritual of garter snakes is an amazing natural phenomena that fascinates both scientists and snake aficionados. As long as humans respect the snakes’ space, this event may be enjoyed and loved for what it is.
