GLOBAL (Winnipeg, Manitoba) 30 April 06 Snakes alive in Manitoba
Narcisse, Manitoba: The city of Narcisse, Manitoba is alive with snakes.
It's here that you can see more snakes at a glance than anywhere else in the world.
For two brief periods each year tens of thousands of red-sided garter snakes congregate at the surface of their winter dens.
Beginning with the first few warm days of spring, garter snakes emerge from these dens and gather in large numbers to perform a fascinating mating ritual.
Following a two to three week frenzy of mating activity, snakes disperse to nearby marshes for the summer.
By early fall they return to their dens, wintering in fissures and crevasses of the limestone bedrock below the frozen ground.
So a stroll through the woods in Narcisse, is achieved in cautious steps.
In peeks, and points a test of one humankinds greatest fears.
Numerous tourists and thrill seekers come out to view the snakes, despite their fears and timid nature.
Manitoba Conservation says these are "The world's largest snake dens" that house tens of thousands of snakes.
The phenomenon is still somewhat of a mystery, but geography plays a role.
Over time, the limestone bedrock eroded to make 8 sink holes in a 1 kilometre radius.
They're perfect for snakes that have to bury themselves to survive the winter.
Dave Roberts of the Manitoba Conservation society explains the mating ritual
"Females are immediately mobbed by males who are amourous and looking for the opprotunity to mate. They're so busy mating they ignore the tourists, until they're caught, if they CAN be caught by determined boys and girls."
Most people that think of snakes are put off by their slithering nature, but in their own environment they are not as intimidating and one lady even described them as "Lovely"
The spectacle will only last another couple of weeks.
Then, the snakes prepare for a summer feast, In what will soon be the most ill-advised real estate in the world for frogs and toads.

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