Snake populations in decline

“Our data revealed an alarming trend.
The majority of snake populations had declined sharply ....”

- C. J. Reading, Ph.D., U. K. Centre for Ecology and Hydrology

Perhaps this is also climate change. Snakes depend on solar energy for regulating body temperature.
This a report from Earthfiles. www.earthfiles.com...
You may be thinking "good ridence!" However, snakes are responsible for keeping rat and mouse popultions in check and they are a large portions of the diet for eagles and hawks.
Oddly, seems that the female snake are affected more than the males.

Take a trip down to SE Georgia, USA and I promise you you will question the demise of the snake population.

I have seen more snakes this summer than at any other time in my life.

Of course I am a bad person because I do kill snakes when they cross my path.

I've seen the results of snake bite and I want no part of it.

Killed two coral snakes in my garden last week and a water moccasin yesterday as he was trying to get in our shop.

I didn't have a chance to kill the others I've seen this year.

I do live out in the woods by a marsh swamp so maybe that's why we see so many.

You can never trust a snake.

Well we get heaps, at least one a week during summer,we were thinking numbers had increased! Tiger snake,Brown,and copper head,can take ya on a short walk thru the scrub and you will see at least two of em in a very short time frame.WE got some nasty,nasty ones.

I think the obvious is being ignored here: The Rapture is occurring. They are shedding their skin for a higher plateau of existence. The faithful are being called home.

It COULD be things like GM crops reducing the population of rodents. Could be intentional extermination via poisons and traps. Could be morons eating snake parts to try and win the lottery or cure whatever disease they have. Or people liking to put snakes in their booze bottles. Could be climate shift screwing up breeding times or egg viability, could be people feeding birds causing them to linger in an area too long and eat the eggs... Could be 10,000 other reasons. Sure not all areas, but then, gangrene doesn't infect the whole body at once either. Thats how it kills, the 'victim' just blindly hopes someone will magic the problem away while thinking "my other foot is still fine!

It never gets magicked away.

What I think is the Rapture began, more and more species are dyeing off seemingly every day. Soon there will just be us humans sitting around waiting for the next episode of American Idol and the next installment of the Twilight "Saga" to start and griping that our Biological Environment Simulators are always stuck on birdsong instead of cycling to crickets from time to time.

I am not sure if it is unfortunate or deserving that humanity is deserving of the fate of isolated and slow oblivious demise. Though, I am certain though the creatures caught in the wake deserved more.

If the Cockroaches ever reach sentience amongst our ruins, do you think they would wage war on each other over religious brand recognition?

(edit, somehow left 'birds' out of my sarcastic and pessimistic rant )

[edit on 24-6-2010 by lordtyp0]

Hmmm....for the guys who are coming into contact with snakes more often than ever, I am just wondering about the area we are talking about here....are these encounters possibly a result of habitats being destroyed, in turn pushing these snake populations closer to human civilization?? Or is it indeed a case of them actually being on the rise in certain parts of the country?

Either way, I hope that this isn't a permanent thing. I absolutely love and respect snakes, they are one of nature's coolest predators!! Venomous or constrictor, I care not....so cool! *granted you'll never see me holding a venomous snake, lol. Eff that!

Not true at all in PA- snake population has tripled here. Had a 6' black snake(poisonous) in the barn eating pigeons the other day.

Originally posted by autowrench
reply to post by lordtyp0

SNIP
Since the post I replied to was removed by a mod, I am censoring the reply that included, as well as my reply to that reply.... if that makes sense
SNIP

Anyway, more on topic... I think the west desert hasn't been hit by a decline on Rattlesnakes, northern Utah still has plenty fo water snakes etc.. Curious to see if this triggers some sort of 'gradient slope' in the short term.

[edit on 24-6-2010 by lordtyp0]

[edit on 24-6-2010 by lordtyp0]

[edit on 24-6-2010 by lordtyp0]

You want snakes, go to South Florida, I am sure the people there will be more than happy to see the snakes relocated.

South Florida is overrun with snakes! It all goes back to Hurricane Andrew when pets were let loose and pet stores were destroyed. The snakes have been mating like crazy and taking over the Everglades.

reply to post by mblahnikluver


That really sucks, I wasn't even aware of that problem.
I had a corn snake for a long time, very cool resident of FL and surrounding areas....one of my favorite pets ever, and the best disposition of any snake i've ever handled.

This was written by Linda Moulton Howe, not the most reliable of sources. Secondly, this is only speculating that there has been a decline of snakes in: UK, France, Italy, Nigeria and Australia. Not exactly a wide sampling of locations world-wide.
Of course snake populations are in decline along with every other animal species. We are destroying their habitat, poisoning their food and water with pesticides, herbicides, fertilizer and a thousand other chemicals.
Predators are the most susceptible of all animals to chemical poisoning. Snakes also get much of their water from their prey and do not possess the advanced kidneys of mammals to excrete toxins from their bodies.
While it is probably true that many snake species are declining in number one thing I can say with absolute confidence is that global warming is NOT the reason. Global warming, if it were true, would actually benefit reptiles and help them expand their ranges.

Originally posted by vyrox
Not true at all in PA- snake population has tripled here. Had a 6' black snake(poisonous) in the barn eating pigeons the other day.

There are NO poisonous snakes in Pennsylvania that are black. You have rattlesnakes and perhaps copperheads there. Big black snakes are highly beneficial as they eat mice and rats.

reply to post by Asktheanimals


We have the Michigan rattler up here in da mitt....i've only encountered one in the wild and it definitely caught me off guard!!! Very cool looking, fat little guys. They don't seem to get nearly as upset as easily as other rattlesnakes that i've seen, but still a cool one nonetheless!

Originally posted by mpriebe81
reply to post by mblahnikluver

 

That really sucks, I wasn't even aware of that problem.
I had a corn snake for a long time, very cool resident of FL and surrounding areas....one of my favorite pets ever, and the best disposition of any snake i've ever handled.

I love corn snakes! I am getting a lavender corn snake, she is beautiful!

I didn't know about the problem until it made the news when it got so bad. I actually lived in Jupiter, FL during Andrew, now I live near the Space Center.

reply to post by mblahnikluver


heck yeah, corn snakes rock! my buddy has a lavender, very cool and BIG for a corn snake.
Mine was a sunglow corn snake, loved the reds and oranges on him!!! I named him Apollo for obvious reasons

Hooray for FL. We have all the poisonous snakes in the States. Corals, rattlers, copperheads, and mocassins.
we also have lots of other types too. I do see them ocassionally.
I wouldn't miss a Gabon viper or cry if all the female cobras in Fl died off, but there are so many beautiful snakes.
The lavender corn snakes are lovely. I am partial to the green snakes. Black snakes are good for fending off copperheads - at least that's the lore in WV.

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