6: Not the Ash Gyro. The Black-necked Gartersnake instead!
Friends,
I write to you from Arapahoe, Ute, and Cheyenne land. I am interested in learning about the different animals that live in the place where I was born. I want to mention that biological classification as taught by western science has its roots in racism, sexism, and transphobia – here’s a good explainer about why.
I had every intention of honoring EVERY animal in Colorado which included mollusks and then I just… couldn’t find out anything interesting about mollusks. Sorry to all you mollusk fans who are now weeping and cursing me but we’re going to move on to reptiles. Specifically, the Black-necked Gartersnake (Thamnophis cyrtopsis).
What is a gartersnake (also garter snake)? Was my first question. Growing up, I always regarded any snake I saw that was not a rattlesnake as “just a harmless garter snake” and, to my adult regret, would pick them up if I saw them, probably causing the poor things a lot of stress. Apparently there are at least 35 species of Thamnophis, with a range all over North America, from sub-Arctic Canada to Latin America. In the western part of their range, they are often more aquatic than in the east.
Every time I read about an animal (except mollusks… sorry mollusks), I feel like I have a moment of delightful vertigo, realizing that there is so much more going on in the world than I could ever hope to understand. This time for me it was reading that garter snakes use pheromones to communicate, and will follow a trail of pheromones to find other snakes. According to Wikipedia, “Male garter snakes sometimes produce both male and female pheromones. During the mating season, this ability fools other males into attempting to mate with them. This causes the transfer of heat to them in kleptothermy, which is an advantage immediately after hibernation, allowing them to become more active. Male snakes giving off both male and female pheromones have been shown to garner more copulations than normal males in the mating balls that form at the den when females enter the mating melee.”
“Mating balls” and “mating melee” – that conjures a mental image.
And how about the Black-necked gartersnake in particular? They live in the warm climes of southern, non-mountain Colorado, in the more arid conditions along the Arkansas in the east and in the waterways of Mesa, La Plata, and Archuleta counties in the west. Interestingly while they are considered high altitude snakes, they live in some of the lowest altitudes in Colorado! You might see them basking alongside streams or swimming – look for the alternating black along their necks.
By the way, we’re going to take a 2 day break, because I am heading to the mountains to backpack and hopefully see some Colorado animals in real life. I’ll be back on Monday with our first arthropod!